Lilongwe, 13 July 2011 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination and Chairman of The Nippon Foundation in Japan, Mr Yohei Sasakawa arrived in Malawi on Thursday (13 July 2011) on a three day visit.

Mr Sasakawa is visiting Malawi at a time when the country is witnessing an increase in leprosy cases.

Lilongwe, 13 July 2011 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination and Chairman of The Nippon Foundation in Japan, Mr Yohei Sasakawa arrived in Malawi on Thursday (13 July 2011) on a three day visit.

Mr Sasakawa is visiting Malawi at a time when the country is witnessing an increase in leprosy cases.

The country which had achieved the leprosy elimination target of less than one case per 10,000 populations in 1994 is currently experiencing an increase in the number of new leprosy cases in some districts. Mr Sasakawa spends one third of his time annually visiting countries where the leprosy burden is increasing.

The main aim of Mr Sasakawa visit is to see for himself ongoing efforts to tackle the disease as well as the conference at Ministry of Health headquarters with the Minister of Health on 15 July 2011.

His visit will also serve to raise awareness of the disease among political leaders, government officials, the media and general public.
During the visit, Mr. Sasakawa will meet the Minister of Health, Prof. David Mphande, and also visit a leprosy clinic in Utale, Balaka district located in the Southern Region of Malawi.

The clinic is run by the Catholic Church and under the management of Balaka District Health Office.

Mr Sasakawa will conclude his visit by holding a joint press conference at Ministry of Health headquarters with the Minister of Health on 15 July 2011.