MIRJAM Mangundu (35) was born at Oshipumbu Shomuhongo village near Oshakati and was diagnosed with vitiligo after discovering a small, white spot around her right eye in 2012.
This gradually spread to other parts of her body and eventually reached her back and stomach areas.
Vitiligo is a condition that causes patches of skin to lose their colour.
“I am still hoping to recover and look better. There are people with the same condition who have recovered. I have appointments with a skin specialist, surgeon and a dermatologist this month, so I am hoping it would improve” Mangundu says.
She says she has experienced a lot of stigma and discrimination from people, as well as awkward stares.
Some people do not even want their children near her, she says.
Her own children, aged one and three, have accepted her the way she is, Mangundu says.
“I love kids, and sometimes people who know me do not want me to hold their kids. Some actually cry when they see me. Maybe they are frightened by the spots on my skin. People must understand we are also human, and they should stop discriminating against us,” she says.
Mangundu says she shared a post on Facebook about her condition and was overwhelmed by the reaction.
“It made me realise I was not the only one with the condition. Many people live with it,” she says.
She urges others with vitiligo to get together and support and celebrate each other – especially on World Vitiligo Day on 25 June.
Mangundu further appeals to organisations to assist people with vitiligo with items to protect them against the sun.
She expressed her gratitude towards MediPark Ongwediva for responding to her appeal for help with treatment, as she cannot afford some products.
“I feel so happy, grateful and relieved to try out and see whether the medication will react to my skin,” she says.
Local dermatologist Niita Haitembu says vitiligo is a persistent skin condition causing areas of the skin to lose pigment and become white or pale. Although it may be more noticeable in people of colour, vitiligo affects people of all races, ages and genders equally.
It commonly appears before the age of 20 years.
There is no cure for vitiligo, Haitembu says, but various treatment options are available that may restore colour – although not permanently.
Vitiligo is not contagious, but its causes are not well understood yet.
It is currently classified as an autoimmune disorder, which involves that a person’s own immune cells attack their melanocytes, or colour-producing cells. There is a genetic predisposition to develop vitiligo, but this does not mean your children will necessarily have vitiligo if you do, Haitembu says.
Prolonged exposure to sunlight may result in sunburn on affected patches, and depigmented skin may become more visible.
Haitembu says it is therefore important for people with vitiligo to avoid the sun, wear sunscreen, and cover their bodies properly.
She says no sunscreen provides 100% protection against the sun.
