Leprosy, Chagas disease, Buruli ulcer, lymphatic filariasis, leishmaniasis or dengue are diseases that sound distant to us. However, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) they affect a sixth of the world's population. They occur in contexts of extreme poverty and, although they can be cured or prevented at a low cost, each year cause death or permanent disability to hundreds of thousands of people as a result of the difficulties of distributing the treatment to the affected groups. These are called neglected diseases.
To these circumstances we must add that almost all women and girls living in poverty in Africa, Asia or Latin America, suffer from one or several neglected tropical diseases and are at greater risk of poverty and social exclusion as a result of the poverty gap. gender, disability and stigma. And this despite the fact that the eradication of these diseases is part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, in force at the 1 in January of 2016.
These days, and until October's 15, the Sala CiudArt of the Hospital de Dénia hosts a sample of the Fontilles Foundation, formed by several panels, which aims to raise awareness of the need for the fight against neglected diseases and their consequences to incorporate measures that promote gender equality and facilitate access for women and girls to adequate information and services.
The exhibition is part of a series of initiatives carried out by Fontilles to raise awareness about the neglect of neglected tropical diseases, which also includes the website on diseasesformedidadas.org, published last year, and the publication of two awareness videos.
The sample has the support of the Ministry of Transparency, Social Responsibility, Participation and Cooperation of the Generalitat Valenciana.
