There are so many myths about leprosy. Does it cause your body parts to fall off? Does it make you blind? Learn the facts below
Name
Leprosy, now known as Hansen’s disease (named after G. A. Hansen who discovered it in 1873)
Transmission
- A chronic infection caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae that mainly affects the eyes, skin, upper respiratory tract, and brain/spinal cord nerves
- The bacteria spreads from person to person but the exact method of transmission is not known, though prolonged contact with an infected person seems necessary for the disease to spread
- Scientists believe it can spread through body fluids (ex: when an infected person sneezes or coughs into the air and a healthy person breathes in that air)
- It is also possible that it spreads through insects
- Armadillos are the only other animal that can carry the bacteria and they can pass it to humans
- It affects people of all ages
- It is not highly infectious
Geography
Worldwide
Incubation Period
2 – 20 years (the bacteria multiply very slowly)
Signs and Symptoms
Up to 95% of the global population may be naturally immune to leprosy so they can carry the bacteria without showing symptoms
- Severe pain
- Muscle weakness
- Skin lesions
- Nosebleeds
- Paralysis in hands or feet
- Thick/stiff skin
- Foot ulcers
- Skin growths
- Numbness
- Enlarged nerves around elbow and knee
- Weak eyesight
- Blindness
The numbness and nerve damage often prevent patients from noticing when they have been injured
Diagnosis
Clinical symptoms and signs and/or skin biopsy and smears of the lesions
Treatment
- Combination antibiotic treatment for 6 months to 2 years
- Anti-inflammatory drugs for the nerve pain
Prognosis
- Leprosy is curable and if treatment is given early, disability can be avoided
- Any nerve damage is permanent
Prevention: What Can You Do?
Avoid contact with the body fluids of an infected person
Leprosy In the News
- 10 years after elimination, leprosy rears its head in India again
- Parent Panic as Leprosy Hits California
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/leprosy/
http://www.who.int/lep/leprosy/en/
