Patience Makwele
Misconceptions that vitiligo is caused by witchcraft, is contagious or linked to HIV continue to isolate people living with the skin condition, prompting health experts to announce plans for Namibia’s first research into the disease and the establishment of a national patient support group.
The initiatives were announced during a World Vitiligo Day awareness session in Windhoek, where medical specialists said the country currently lacks national data on the condition despite growing concern over the stigma faced by patients.
Speaking to the Windhoek Observer, Claudia Masiliso Lutombi, a 38-year-old teacher and entrepreneur from the Zambezi region who has been living with vitiligo since the age of 26 shared about enduring years of discrimination and misunderstanding.
Lutombi said people often stare at her because most of the depigmentation is visible on her face, while others wrongly assume she is contagious, bewitched or living with HIV.
“It’s a very serious condition if you live in the Zambezi region. It is very difficult because many people still do not understand the condition. A lot of times people both adults and children stare at me because most of the vitiligo is on my face. Others think it is witchcraft or that I have HIV but it is simply a skin condition,” she said.
She said the stigma is particularly severe in rural communities, where myths continue to thrive because many people have limited access to accurate health information.
Lutombi urged the ministry of health and social services to take awareness campaigns beyond urban centres and into villages, saying communities need to understand that vitiligo is neither contagious nor the result of supernatural causes.
She also recalled the case of a learner with vitiligo who was relentlessly bullied at a school where she previously taught.
According to Lutombi, the bullying became so severe that the child nearly dropped out before teachers, the school principal and the learner’s parents intervened.
“There was a child at one of the schools I taught 4 years ago and other learners made it very hard for him to study. He was bullied, called names to a point he almost dropped out of school, we had to involve management to convince his parents not to let him leave school.”
“That experience showed me how damaging stigma can be. We need to educate communities so that children living with vitiligo can learn without fear of discrimination,” she said.
Anatomical pathologist Dr Nambuba Amundaba of the Namibia Institute of Pathology said the planned national research will examine how vitiligo affects different age groups, regions and communities, helping to generate local data that can inform future healthcare interventions.
She said the research will also strengthen collaboration between pathology and dermatology specialists.
Amundaba further announced plans to establish a support group for people living with vitiligo, bringing together patients, families, healthcare professionals and social workers to provide psychosocial support and raise awareness.
“We want people to understand that this is not witchcraft or alcoholism, but a medical condition,” she said.
Dermatologist Dr Niita Haitembu explained that vitiligo occurs when melanocytes, the cells responsible for producing skin pigment, are destroyed, causing patches of skin to lose their natural colour.
She stressed that the condition is not contagious and can affect anyone regardless of age.
“Vitiligo is not witchcraft, it is not a curse and it is not caused by anyone’s fault. It can happen to anyone, anytime,” Haitembu said.
Although Namibia has no national prevalence data, Haitembu said about 70 of the 7,000 patients treated at the Dermatology Department of Windhoek Central Hospital over a nine-month period in 2025 were diagnosed with vitiligo, a figure broadly consistent with the global estimate that about 2% of the population is affected.
She added that vitiligo is often associated with autoimmune conditions such as thyroid disorders, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis, while the psychological impact of stigma can be just as serious as the physical condition.
“It is not just what we see on the skin. The condition can also affect a person mentally because of how patients are perceived and how they see themselves,” she said.
Another person living with vitiligo in Windhoek, Namutenya Shiyagaya, said she struggled with self-confidence after developing lighter patches on her skin eight years ago.
“There was a point where I was not confident and I had to cover myself with makeup just to hide my skin condition,” she said, adding that therapy, medical treatment and support from her family helped her regain confidence.
Health experts said treatment options, including topical medication and light therapy, are available for some patients, but stressed that eliminating stigma through education remains essential to improving the wellbeing of people living with vitiligo.
