The leader of the ASAA (Anambra State Albinism Association), Vivian Ezeonwumelu, in an interview with NAN (News Agency of Nigeria), confessed to losing three members to cancer of the skin over the past five months. The interview was granted to commemorate the Albinism Awareness Day celebrated every 13 June each year. The Albinism Awareness Day was established by the UN General Assembly on 18 December 2014 to raise the awareness of the Persons with Albinism issue in the society, and to check the rate of marginalization and stigmatization directed towards them.
This year’s theme is United in Making Our Voice Heard and the head of ASAA Miss Vivian, sticking true to the theme complained of the inaccessible treatment People with Albinism suffer due to low or no funds, the unawareness of the society toward albinos, and the wrong beliefs and myths about albinism in the society. An albino can be defined as a person or animal congenitally lacking melanin pigmentation in the skin, eyes, and hair or feathers (or more rarely only in the eyes).
Albinos are more susceptible to cancer of the skin, hair, and eye defects owing to the lack of melanin in their bodies. She, however, has appealed to the state government to institute a healthcare support scheme for albinos to reduce the rate of skin cancer-prone deaths. She also urged the government to organize seminars where skin doctors and oculists could come to check in on People with Albinism at least once every few months.
Also speaking, Mrs. Ify Obinabo, Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare emboldened Individuals with Albinism to continue to work on their self-respect to not pay attention to the pessimistic perception the society had toward them.
