In his statement on leprosy, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Metin shared the following information: “We care about the dissemination of accurate information on public health issues and the preservation of our medical heritage. In this context, leprosy (also known as Hansen’s disease), one of the oldest diseases in human history, is a chronic infectious disease caused by an acid-fast bacillus that primarily affects the peripheral nervous system, the skin, and the mucosa of the upper respiratory tract. For centuries, due to misconceptions, this disease caused fear and led to the exclusion of patients from society; however, it is not genetically transmitted and, contrary to popular belief, its contagiousness is quite low. The bacillus has a slow reproduction rate and the disease has a long incubation period. Today, thanks to modern medicine and multidrug therapies, it has become a treatable condition whose contagiousness can be eliminated in a short time. Looking at the historical course of the disease, it is seen that humanity has moved from fear and isolation practices toward scientific treatment methods. In Anatolia, from the Byzantine period to the Ottoman Empire, patients generally lived in isolated areas called ‘Miskinler Tekkesi’ or leprosaria. With the proclamation of the Republic, the fight against leprosy became an official state health policy; starting in the 1930s, it gained a systematic structure through legal regulations and hospitals established in regions such as Elazığ.”

Prof. Dr. Ahmet Metin: “Leprosy is no longer a public health threat to be feared in our country.”

Prof. Dr. Ahmet Metin stated: “One of the most important heroes of this national struggle is Associate Professor Dr. Etem Utku, who devoted his life to leprosy patients. While working in Elazığ in the 1940s, he confronted the dramatic conditions of leprosy patients and devoted his life to their treatment. Referring to his patients as ‘my brothers,’ Etem Utku not only focused on medical treatment but also founded the Ankara Leprosy Fight and Research Association in 1957, initiating the civil society dimension of the struggle. He donated the income from his book ‘Leprosy and Its Modern Meaning’ to the association and pioneered the establishment of the Leprosy Training and Research Institute in Ankara. Associate Professor Dr. Etem Utku, who enabled the opening of dispensaries across Türkiye and worked to train physicians in this field, was martyred in a traffic accident in 1964 during leprosy screening studies in the Van and Hakkâri region, and the torch he lit formed the scientific and humanitarian foundation of the fight against leprosy in Türkiye. In addition to Etem Utku, it is also a duty of loyalty to mention other valuable figures who contributed to this struggle. After Utku, scientists such as Prof. Dr. Ahmet Akçaboy and Prof. Dr. Atıf Taşpınar contributed greatly to the process with their academic studies. Prof. Dr. Mazhar Osman, who established leprosy wards in Bakırköy and laid the foundations of a modern approach, and Prof. Dr. Türkan Saylan, who founded the Leprosy Fight Association in 1976 and advocated healing patients by ‘touching’ them, bringing thousands back into society through social rehabilitation projects, are also among the architects of this success,” he said.

Emphasizing that, as a result of determined and comprehensive efforts, Türkiye had reached the World Health Organization’s target of less than 1 case per 10,000 population years ago, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Metin continued: “Today, according to Ministry of Health data, the number of registered patients is very low and the incidence of new cases has almost come to a halt. The majority of current patients are individuals who have passed the active stage of the disease and are being followed due to post-treatment sequelae. The primary goal is no longer to kill the bacillus but to improve the quality of life of the remaining survivors. The drugs used in the treatment of the disease are provided to patients free of charge by the Ministry of Health. In conclusion, leprosy is no longer a public health threat to be feared in our country. This success is the joint achievement of devoted physicians such as Etem Utku, healthcare workers, and civil society. Our duty is to completely eliminate societal prejudice and stigma regarding this disease, to preserve our medical heritage, and to continue following scientific developments. Although leprosy in Türkiye is now considered biologically ‘ended,’ ensuring the dignified right to life of remaining patients and not forgetting the historical lessons of the disease remain the most important continuing front of the struggle.”