The Alliance Against Leprosy Institute is the result of the private observations of a Brazilian doctor who faced the invisible reality that people with Hansen’s Disease endure in Brazil with the second highest number of diagnoses in the world. With decades of experience in dermatology, humanitarian medicine and treatment of Hansen’s Disease patients, Laila De Laguiche combined sensitivity for health treatment with a social vision that made her capable of perceiving how much this and other diseases spread in environments with high social inequality and vulnerability.

Brazilian and French, with medical training in Brazil and Belgium, Dra. Laila combines technical wisdom with the nobility of philanthropy. She is a health professional with more than 20 years of experience in the field. She has a postgraduate degree in International Health and Tropical Diseases from the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp (Belgium) and in Health Management from the Abram Szajman Health Education Center at the Albert Einstein Hospital. She has worked as a consultant at the Brazilian Ministry of Health, as a representative of the South regional and was responsible for International Relations in the Brazilian Society of Hansenology (SBH). She currently chairs the activities of the AAL, as well as being a member of the Council of the Company of Order of Malta International against Hansen’s Disease (CIOMAL).

In the first eight months of its activities, it reached 866 health professionals and provided training in some of the regions most affected by the disease in Brazil. She gave explanations on public policies to councilors from the Curitiba City Council (CMC), lectures with dermatologists and support for scientific research that can improve the treatment of Hansen’s Disease.

In 2020, the State Health Department (SES-MT) and the Alliance Against Leprosy signed a Technical Cooperation Agreement for the project “Mato Grosso in Networks: Comprehensive Hansen’s Disease Care”, to structure the comprehensive Hansen’s Disease care network in the state based on specialized shoe shops and the offer of teleconsultations and online consultations developed by doctors specializing in Hansen’s Disease, guaranteeing specialized support for patients and training for Primary Health Care professionals.

Focusing on the quality of life of people with physical disabilities caused by Hansen’s Disease, and also for those who cannot afford to buy materials or assistive technology, the Alliance Against Leprosy has launched an unprecedented initiative called TECHansen for all Brazilian municipalities. In 2022, the initiative, conceived by Dr. Susilene Nardi, received an honorable mention from the Ministry of Health and the Pan American Health Organization in the Mapping of Successful Experiences in Hansen’s Disease.

In 2023, the AAL Institute launched an unprecedented virtual platform to help doctors manage complex Hansen’s Disease cases. Named DOCHansen and funded by the Malta International Order Against Hansen’s Disease (CIOMAL), the tool was born out of AAL’s Technical Cooperation with the Mato Grosso (MT) State Health Secretariat, it has been running as a pilot project for six months, bridging the gap between doctors who have questions about the disease and experienced Brazilian Hansenologists.

At the international level, the Alliance Against Leprosy has an active presence at the main scientific Hansen’s Disease congresses, including the presentation of papers and the presentation of projects at stands.