What Is Leprosy?

Leprosy typically appears as patches of discolored skin with a loss of sensation at the affected area. When nerves in the arm are affected, small muscles become paralyzed, and this can cause the fingers to curl. Patients may also lose sensation in the feet. Unable to feel pain, the patient can suffer deformation of their feet due to continued injury and infection. If the facial nerves are affected, they may lose the blinking reflex of the eye, which can lead to dryness, ulceration, and blindness. Bacilli at the mucous lining of the nose can cause internal damage and scarring, which in time, causes the nose to collapse.

Not directly. M. leprae attacks nerve endings and destroys the body’s ability to feel pain and injury. Without feeling pain, people injure themselves on fire, thorns, rocks, and even hot coffee cups. Injuries become infected and result in tissue loss. Fingers, toes, and limbs become shortened and deformed as the tissue is absorbed into the body.

Leprosy is not highly contagious; in fact, 95% of adults are immune to the disease. Current research shows M. leprae is transmitted primarily through coughing and sneezing and via the skin during close and frequent contact with untreated, infected persons.

Because the stigma associated with leprosy prevents many from seeking treatment, it is difficult to define precisely how many individuals are affected by this disease. Statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicate that for the past few years, about 150,000 new cases of leprosy have been reported annually with 75,000 new cases reported in India in 2021. Again, because of the stigma associated with the disease, many of these individuals sought treatment once the disease had progressed. It is estimated that there are about 2 million people with disabilities resulting from leprosy.

Yes, but it is rare. About 150 people are diagnosed with leprosy each year in the United States.

YES! Leprosy can be cured with Multidrug Therapy. When treated in its early stages, deformation and disability can be avoided. Early diagnosis is very important!

Multidrug therapy (MDT) is a combination of medications used to cure leprosy. Multiple drugs are used to prevent resistance to a single medication. The treatment lasts 6-12 months, but soon after beginning MDT, the patient is no longer considered contagious. MDT is safe, effective, and easy to administer in the field.

The first known written mention of leprosy is dated 600 B.C., but skeletal evidence of leprosy has been found dating back to 2000 B.C. Throughout history, those with leprosy have often been ostracized by their communities and families.

This means reducing the number of leprosy cases in the community to very low levels, specifically below 1 in 10,000.

No. We ask that the term “leper” no longer be used. People affected by leprosy are just that–individuals who have leprosy. The disease does not define them. To this day, many are still outcasts from society and stigmatized because they have this curable disease.