Leprosy, NCDPC FAQ
- What can be done to eliminate stigma and discrimination against people affected by leprosy?
- Will leprosy eventually disappear?
- Can a person with deformities be cured of leprosy?
- How can I help in the fight against leprosy?
- How is leprosy transmitted?
- Is it hereditary?
- Is leprosy the same as Hansen’s disease?
- Is leprosy the same as Hansen’s disease?
- Is leprosy very infectious?
- Is leprosy widespread?
- Is there any reason to isolate people with leprosy?
- Is treatment expensive?
- What is leprosy?
- What is the symptoms of leprosy?
- Where is the treatment available?
- Why does leprosy lead to deformity?
What can be done to eliminate stigma and discrimination against people affected by leprosy?
For a start, never define them by their disease or use derogatory terms such as ‘leper.’ Offer them and their families your support, accept them as who they are and treat them with the same as anyone else. Remember,”Every person is born free and equal in dignity and human rights.” (Universal Declaration of Human Rights)
topWill leprosy eventually disappear?
Leprosy has a long incubation period of between 5 and 20 years. It is likely that a fair number of new cases will be diagnosed in the next few years but that over time the incidence of the disease will grow less and less.
topCan a person with deformities be cured of leprosy?
Leprosy can be cured at any stage. To be cured of leprosy means to have no leprosy-causing bacteria remaining in the body. However, if leprosy is detected and treated only after permanent nerve damage has occurred, there will be residual disabilities and deformities. Disability is preventable and timely diagnosis and prompt treatment. Residual disabilities and deformities are not a source of leprosy infection.
topHow can I help in the fight against leprosy?
Recognize that leprosy is curable, treatment is free and that stigmatizing people with the disease is wrong-and pass on these messages to as many people as possible.
topHow is leprosy transmitted?
Leprosy is thought to be transmitted through the air via droplets from the nose and the mouth during close and frequent contact with untreated infectious cases.
topIs leprosy the same as Hansen’s disease?
Hansen’s disease is another name for leprosy. It is called after Dr. G.A. Hansen, the Norwegian doctor who discovered the M. leprae bacillus in 1873. As the word leprosy is related to the derogatory word 'leper' in countries such as Brazil, Japan and the United States the term ‘Hansen’s disease’ is preferred.
topIs leprosy the same as Hansen’s disease?
Hansen’s disease is another name for leprosy. It is called after Dr. G.A. Hansen, the Norwegian doctor who discovered the M. leprae bacillus in 1873. As the word leprosy is related to the derogatory word 'leper' in countries such as Brazil, Japan and the United States the term ‘Hansen’s disease’ is preferred.
topIs leprosy very infectious?
On the contrary, leprosy is sometimes called the least infectious disease. More than 85% of leprosy cases are noninfectious and do not spread the disease. Over 99% of people have a natural immunity or resistance to leprosy.
topIs leprosy widespread?
Currently less than 300,000 people develop leprosy each year. Since the introduction of MDT in the early 1980s, more than 15 million people around the world have been cured of the disease. Today, it remains a public health problem in only a handful of countries.
topIs there any reason to isolate people with leprosy?
No, today, there is no medical or social justification for isolating people with leprosy. People can continue their normal way of life while receiving treatment. Any attempt to isolate people with leprosy stigmatizes them and reinforces age-old prejudices about the disease.
topIs treatment expensive?
Treatment costs nothing. Since 1995, the WHO has supplied MDT free to all patients in the world, initially with funding provided by the The Nippon Foundation, and subsequently through MDT donated by Novartis and the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development.
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What is leprosy?
Leprosy is a disease caused by a rod-shaped bacillus called Mycobacterium leprae, or M. leprae for short. It affects mainly the skin and the nerves.
topWhat is the symptoms of leprosy?
The first sign of leprosy is usually the appearance of patches on the skin. These patches are accompanied by a loss of sensation in the areas affected.
topWhere is the treatment available?
Leprosy can be diagnosed and treated at the nearest health center or health post as leprosy services have been integrated with general health services.
topWhy does leprosy lead to deformity?
If untreated, leprosy causes nerve damage and other complications. Patients lose feeling and other complications. Patients lose feeling in their hands and feet, and muscles become paralyzed because the nerves supplying them have been impaired. As a result, people with the disease are susceptible to injuries that can result in festering wounds or ulcers. These are secondary infections due to other organisms and are not caused by the leprosy germ.
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