Awareness event for Vitiligo

PUDUCHERRY: A mass painting event was held on the beachfront as part of the World Vitiligo Day in Puducherry on Saturday.The poster painting event, which had the appeal ‘Do not stare at us’, was organised by the Leucoderma Awareness Movement India. There was a long poster, where people painted or wrote messages.Leucoderma, a condition characterised by white patches on the skin, is caused by melanin pigment deficiency. It, however, does not cause any health problems.It cuts across barriers of race, gender, geography and religion.According to available statistics, an estimated two per cent of the world’s population is affected by the condition. In India, the prevalence of Leucoderma has been noted in about four per cent of the country’s population. Puducherry has 26,000 affected people, a majority of whom are youngsters. After a chain of awareness campaigns, the authorities were directed to refer to Leucoderma as venpulligal.