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Ethiopia has a significant number of people living with podoconiosis. Despite this, podoconiosis (endemic non-filarial elephantiasis) is one of the most neglected tropical diseases, and little is known of the socio-economic impact of the disease in Ethiopia. This book explores the right to health as it relates to persons living with podoconiosis under international and regional human rights instruments, and issues affecting the realization of the right to health of persons living with podoconiosis in Ethiopia. It develops an analytical framework for the right to health, derived from General Comment 14 on the right to health of the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; and it applies this framework in the context of persons living with podoconiosis. Arguing that policy and legislative initiatives are a prerequisite to the realization of the right to health for persons living with podoconiosis, the paper explores the major obstacles through human rights perspectives, (including unavailability of health care facilities, goods and service, inaccessibility, stigma and discrimination).

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Kidus Meskele Ashine, LL.M: Studied Human Rights Law at Addis Ababa University: Lecturer at School of Law, Wollo University, Dessie.

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