Realizing the Right to Health of People Living with Podoconiosis Lessons from the Field
Main Article Content
Keywords
Podoconiosis, right to health, human rights, Ethiopia
Abstract
Podoconiosis is endemic non-filarial elephantiasis which affects people who walk
barefoot on irritant clay soils for many years. A significant number of people are living with
the disease in Ethiopia and other parts of the world. Despite the disease being a cause and
consequence of illness and poverty, little attention was given to the disease from the right to
health angle in Ethiopia. Although the Constitution of Ethiopia does not explicitly recognize
the right to health, Ethiopia has ratified international and regional human rights instruments
which guarantee the right to health as a fundamental human right. In particular, this article
explores gaps in implementation of the right to health of people living with podoconiosis
based on lessons from field observation.
References
Legs: 'Podoconiosis'." Tropical Doctor 14, (1984b): 115-19.
Price, EW. "Endemic Elephantiasis of the Lower Legs in Ethiopia an Epidemiological
Survey." Ethiopian Medical Journal 26 (3), (1974): 77-90.
Destas, K., Ashine, M., Davey, G. "Prevalence of podoconiosis (endemic non-filarial elephantiasis) in Wolaitta, southern Ethiopia." Tropical Doctor 32, (2002): 217–220.
Price, EW. "Non-Filarial Elephantiasis - Confirmed as a Geochemical Disease and
Renamed Podoconiosis." Ethiopian Medical Journal 26, (1988): 151-53.
Price, EW. "The Management of Endemic (Non-Filarial) Elephantiasis of the Lower
Legs." Tropical Doctor 5, (1975): 70-75.
Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: General Comment 14, The
Rights to the Highest Standard of Health, UN Doc. E/12/2000/4 (2000).
Available at http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/gencomm/escgencom14.htm
Central Statistical Agency: Summary and Statistical Report of the 2007 Population and Housing Census Results. Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia: Population Census Commission. (2008).
SNNPR (Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Region). Health profile of
Wolaita Zone, Ethiopia. (2002).
Davey, G., Tekola F., Newport. M.J. "Podoconiosis: non-infectious geochemical elephantiasis." Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 101 (12), (2007):1175–1180.
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, adopted 16
Dec.1966 entered into force 3 Jan. 1976 G.A.Res.2200 H (XXI), UN Doc. A/6316 (1966), 993 UNTS 171, reprinted in 3 ILM 368 (1966). 155 state parties. http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/cescr.htm.
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, adopted 21 Dec. 1965, entered into force 4 Jan. 1969, 660, reprinted in SILM 352 (1966). 155 state parties. http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/cescr.htm.
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, adopted 18 Dec. 1979, entered into force 3 Sep. 1981, G.A.Res. 34/180, 34 UN GAOR, supp. (No.46), UN Doc.A/34/46, at 193 (1979), Reprinted in 19
ILM 33(1980). 165 state parties. http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/cescr.htm.
Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted 20 Nov.1989, entered into force 2 Sep.1990, G.A.Res.44/25,44 UN GAOR, supp. (No.49), at 166 (1989), reprinted in 28 ILM 1448 (1989).191 state parties. http://www2.ohchr.org/ english/law/cescr.htm.
African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Banjul Charter), adopted 27 June 1981, entered into force 21 October (1986) OAU Doc. CAB/LEG/67/3 rev. 5, 21 I.L.M. 58. http://www.africa-union.org.
Yakob. B., Deribe. K., Davey. G.: High levels of misconceptions and stigma in a community highly endemic for podoconiosis in southern Ethiopia. Trans R
Soc Trop Med Hyg African Charter on Human 102, (2008):439–444.
Judith, A. "The Right to Health: A Resource Manual for NGOs" (2004), 22-23.
http://shr.aaas.org/pubs/rt_health/rt_health_manual.pdf.
Article Sidebar
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
RDS Journal is an open-access journal, create a free account to read full articles and to submit a proposal. For visual arts and multimedia, submission will be considered evidence that you are offering RDS the right to display your work without penalty, compensation or royalties.