The actor Boris Karloff.
Famous for his role in the film adaptation of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel, Mr. Karloff also acted in 130 films, playing, as he called it, many “chilling roles.”
Stepping out of those roles and into his “real self,” Mr. Karloff worked with UN Radio in 1959 to record an article about how communities in Nigeria were dealing with leprosy.
“If you still think that leprosy, or Hansen's disease, leaves its victims very disfigured and condemns them to that condition, then you should have been with me at the Tiranka rural clinic in north-central Nigeria,” he said, for above the sound. of drumming.
Today, leprosy still occurs in about 120 countries, with more than 200,000 cases reported each year.
It is a preventable and curable disease according to the World Health Organization (WHO) in its global strategy to eradicate it.
Efforts are currently being made in all regions of the world.
Listen to The dance of new life here, part of UN News Series highlighting epic moments from the United Nations past, drawn from the United Nations Audiovisual Library's 49,400 hours of video and 18,000 hours of audio recordings.
Leprosy prevention programs are currently being carried out around the world, including this school campaign in Recife, Brazil. (archive)
Stories from the UN Archive
Join us every #ThrowbackThursday to dive back into the story. In the meantime, check out some classics from the archives:
- Watch UN videos Stories from the UN Archive playlist here
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- History buffs can also find classic UN Radio podcasts from across the decades here.
