Busting albinism myths

September is Albinism Awareness Month.

Seeing the level of ignorance, myths and misconceptions about albinism, the Albinism Society of South Africa shared these five myths and facts about people living with albinism:

Albinism is an inherited condition where a person is unable to produce normal colouring of the skin, hair and eyes (lack of pigments). The condition can be limited to the eye or involve the eye and the skin.

Myth 1: Albinism is a punishment or a curse from the gods or ancestral spirits due to wrongs done in the family.

Fact: Albinism is a genetic condition that is passed on from parents to children. Many people are carriers of this recessive gene. Albinism is not a curse.

Myth 2: Body parts of persons living with albinism make potent charms that can make people rich and successful.

Fact: This is not true. It is a myth spread by witch doctors in order to enrich themselves at the expense of others.

Myth 3: A person with albinism cannot have regularly pigmented children.

Fact: A person with albinism can give birth to regularly pigmented children if his/her partner is not a carrier of a similar recessive gene for albinism. The children may be carriers of the recessive gene, but it will not be expressed in them.

Myth 5: People with albinism cannot see during the day, but see well at night.

Fact: People with albinism have eyesight problems due to lack of ‘melanin’ pigmentation in the retina. They can see during the day and also at night, but they may either be short- or long-sighted and may need sight aids.

Myth 5: People with albinism don’t die, they simply vanish.

Fact: All people with albinism die like other normally pigmented people. There’s no such thing as vanishing.