ALERT (medical facility, Ethiopia)
Encyclopedia
ALERT is a medical facility on the edge of Addis Ababa
, specializing in Hansen’s disease, also known as “leprosy
”. It was originally the All Africa Leprosy Rehabilitation and Training Center (hence the acronym), but the official name is now expanded to include tuberculosis: All Africa Leprosy, Tuberculosis and Rehabilitation Training Centre.
ALERT’s activities focus on its hospital, rehabilitation of leprosy patients, training programs for leprosy personnel from around the world, and leprosy control (administration of the Ethiopian Ministry of Health’s regional leprosy control program). From the beginning, ALERT provided leprosy training for medical students from Addis Ababa University
. Also at ALERT is the Armauer Hansen
Research Institute, founded in 1970, specializing in leprosy research. There is currently a 240-bed teaching hospital, which includes dermatology
, ophthalmology
, and surgery
departments, also an orthopedic workshop, and a rehabilitation program.
ALERT is the continuation and expansion of the leprosy hospital originally built by Dr. Thomas Lambie
in 1922, which was later named the Princess Zänäbä Wärq Hospital. A memorandum to found ALERT was signed Dec. 11, 1965 by representatives of the Ministry of Health, Addis Ababa University, the International Society for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled, the Leprosy Mission, and Dr. Eugene Kellersberger
of the American Leprosy Mission, who had had the vision for establishing such a multifaceted center and had been the main promoter of the project.
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
, specializing in Hansen’s disease, also known as “leprosy
Leprosy
Leprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
”. It was originally the All Africa Leprosy Rehabilitation and Training Center (hence the acronym), but the official name is now expanded to include tuberculosis: All Africa Leprosy, Tuberculosis and Rehabilitation Training Centre.
ALERT’s activities focus on its hospital, rehabilitation of leprosy patients, training programs for leprosy personnel from around the world, and leprosy control (administration of the Ethiopian Ministry of Health’s regional leprosy control program). From the beginning, ALERT provided leprosy training for medical students from Addis Ababa University
Addis Ababa University
Addis Ababa University is a university in Ethiopia. It was originally named "University College of Addis Ababa" at its founding, then renamed for the former Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie I in 1962, receiving its current name in 1975.Although the university has six of its seven campuses within...
. Also at ALERT is the Armauer Hansen
Gerhard Armauer Hansen
Gerhard Henrik Armauer Hansen was a Norwegian physician, remembered for his identification of the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae in 1873 as the causative agent of leprosy....
Research Institute, founded in 1970, specializing in leprosy research. There is currently a 240-bed teaching hospital, which includes dermatology
Dermatology
Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin and its diseases, a unique specialty with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist takes care of diseases, in the widest sense, and some cosmetic problems of the skin, scalp, hair, and nails....
, ophthalmology
Ophthalmology
Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine that deals with the anatomy, physiology and diseases of the eye. An ophthalmologist is a specialist in medical and surgical eye problems...
, and surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
departments, also an orthopedic workshop, and a rehabilitation program.
ALERT is the continuation and expansion of the leprosy hospital originally built by Dr. Thomas Lambie
Thomas Lambie
Dr. Thomas Alexander Lambie was a missionary medical doctor noteworthy for becoming an Ethiopian citizen, being responsible for several early medical efforts in Ethiopia . He also worked as a medical doctor in Sudan, Nigeria and Palestine, where he died.-Life :Dr. Lambie was born in Pittsburgh,...
in 1922, which was later named the Princess Zänäbä Wärq Hospital. A memorandum to found ALERT was signed Dec. 11, 1965 by representatives of the Ministry of Health, Addis Ababa University, the International Society for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled, the Leprosy Mission, and Dr. Eugene Kellersberger
Eugene Kellersberger
Dr. Eugene Kellersberger , was a leprosy treatment innovator, and a pioneering missionary surgeon in Africa.-References:Hendrick, John and Winifrid Vass. 1998. Kellersberger, Eugene. In Biographical Dictionary of Christian Mission, Gerald Annderson, ed., pp. 356-357. New York: Simon & Schuster...
of the American Leprosy Mission, who had had the vision for establishing such a multifaceted center and had been the main promoter of the project.
Literature
- Unseth, Peter. 2003. "ALERT", Encyclopaedia Aethiopica, vol. 1, edited by Siegbert Uhlig, p. 194,195. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.
- Vass, Winifred K. (1999). Doctor Not Afraid, 2nd ed. Dallas, TX (USA).
External links
- All Africa Leprosy, Tuberculosis and Rehabilitation Training (ALERT) Centre described by the World Health OrganizationWorld Health OrganizationThe World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
- ALERT Official website