Leprosy is not dead

Leprosy is not dead
By Karen Rollins

Leprosy, an age old disease closely associated with biblical times, has not gone away. In fact, about 500,000 new cases - more than 1,400 people every day - were diagnosed in 2005.
In 1996 the World Health Organisation said it hoped to all but eliminate the disease within 10 years. But in 2006 people in South America, Asia and Africa are still living with this debilitating illness even though a cure, which is available for free, was found more than 20 years ago. It is hard to pinpoint why it is taking so long to eradicate an illness that has not been found in Europe for decades.

Tim Lewis, a doctor working in Nepal for the Leprosy Mission International thinks the continued stigma surrounding the disease could be to blame.He said: "There is definitely still a stigma surrounding leprosy. We are still seeing some patients coming at quite an advanced stage of disease and the main reason why people delay treatment is still fear of rejection.""We had one case where a man with the disease lived with his family, but they drew a line down the centre of the house and told him to stay on his side. His food was then passed over the line."


Total number of new cases in 2005 (Source: WHO)
SOUTH EAST ASIA - 201,635
AFRICA - 42,814
AMERICAS -52,662 (2004 figure)
WESTERN PACIFIC - 7,137
EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN - 3,133

June Nash, a missionary for more than 30 years, has also witnessed first hand the shame a leprosy diagnosis can induce. She recalled the story of one patient from Africa who thought she would have to get a divorce after being diagnosed.She said: "The patient was cured of the disease and didn't have any disabilities but was convinced she would have to leave her husband just because of the shame."Daniel Izzett, a pastor in Zimbabwe, began losing the feeling in his fingers when he was a child but was not treated for the illness until he was 24. He told his immediate family but admits delaying telling anyone else because he feared their reaction. "I was almost living in denial but it was 10 years before I was told I had leprosy after being continually misdiagnosed. "I told my family and my bosses at work because I needed time off for treatment but generally we kept it a great secret because of the stigma. It seems an unwritten law in society - fear of leprosy."

Curable disease

Most of the worries surrounding leprosy may stem from the fact that it is probably spread by airborne infection such as coughing and sneezing. The first outward sign is a patch on the skin, usually associated with loss of feeling around that area. However, it is now thought that 95% of people are naturally immune to the leprosy bacteria and once a patient begins treatment they are no longer infectious. Multidrug therapy also cures most victims but physical deformities, including damaged hands and feet, remain. This may make it hard for family and friends to accept sufferers.



more:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4799993.stm

were 1,309 cases in the US between 1932 and 1981. That averages to 26 cases a year, with the number of cases per year decreasing and the age at diagnosis increasing during the period.

Since they started to call it Hansen's disease, they seem to have removed much of the stigma associated with it, and it is curable. The CDC expects the disease to be eradicated within the next 50 years.

I find that a bit optimistic, given the poor access to health care the majority of us have, even with insurance. Undoubtedly, many cases are going to go undetected and the sufferers will remain infective until deformities appear.

Don't you just love living in a third world country?

And expect to die in a third world one. The funny thing is, I never left the USA.

People who say that Government is good for nothing have never lived outside of the US.