Actor Boris Karloff.

Known for his performance in the movie version of Mary Shelley’s novel from 1818, Mr. Karloff also appeared in 130 films, portraying what he referred to as numerous “terrifying characters.”

In 1959, Mr. Karloff left his usual roles and embraced his authentic self by collaborating with UN Radio to produce a piece about the ways in which Nigerian communities were handling leprosy.

He spoke amidst the sound of drumming, saying that if one believes leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, permanently deforms its sufferers and condemns them to such a state, they should have accompanied him to a clinic in rural Tiranka, located in northern central Nigeria.

Currently, leprosy remains prevalent in approximately 120 nations, with an annual report of over 200,000 cases.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that this illness can be prevented and treated, as stated in their worldwide plan to eliminate it.

Efforts are currently in progress in all regions of the world.

Listen to The Dance of New Life here, part of UN News’s series highlighting epic moments across the UN’s past, cultivated from the UN Audiovisual Library’s 49,400 hours of video and 18,000 hours of audio recordings.

Programs to prevent leprosy are now taking place globally, such as the school campaign in Recife, Brazil.

Source: news.un.org