The São Paulo Foundation Against Hansen’s Disease

by Dora Cypreste

This book was written by Dora Martins Cypreste, a social worker, and Wagner Nogueira, a public health doctor and hansenologist, as a record of the process of transformation of the five former Hansen’s disease colony hospitals in the State of São Paulo. The authors had worked in these hospitals as technical advisors to the Paulista Foundation Against Hansen's disease.

It is a work with theoretical and practical foundations, whose first chapters highlight the historical aspects of Hansen’s disease control policies in Brazil and the State of São Paulo. The book begins with a description of compulsory isolation for people affected by "leprosy" – in the terminology used at the time - until more recent times, when outpatient treatment was recommended for all diagnosed cases.

The reader will learn about the Paulista Foundation, which began its work on February 13, 1934. The Foundation is a non-governmental organization that aims to encourage research and provide social assistance to people affected by Hansen's disease.

The book finishes by listing socio-educational projects in the former colony hospitals which aim to stimulate citizen participation of the residents, empowering them to realize their own aspirations and meet their needs autonomously.

This work was published in 2013, with support from the Paulista Foundation Against Hansen’s disease. It can be found at the Foundation website:

www.fundacaohanseniase.org.br

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