What is leprosy?

leprosy is a disease caused by the mycobacterium leprae . Lepra is often also referred to as Hansen's disease after the discovery of the bacteria. While in ancient history, the term leprosy has been used to indicate a wide range of suffering that causes cooking, ulcers or other skin diseases, in modern use it refers exclusively to Hansen's disease as mycobacterium leprae . While the exact way of transmission for leprosy is unknown, most people believe that bacteria are undergoing moisture radiated from the body.

There are two predominant myths that are completely false. The first is that leprosy is incurable. In truth, leprosy is treatable using drug regime. In the 1840s of the 20th century, the first real treatments were established for leprosy using a drug called Dapson. The World Health Organization (WHO) provides this multi drug therapy (MDT) any country that needs it as part of their continuingEfforts to remove leprosy as a world health problem.

The second myth is that leprosy is extremely contagious. In fact, most people are naturally immune to illness and for those who are not, the transmission is still unlikely. It is estimated that more than 90% of the world's population has overall immunity to leprosy. For those who are sensitive, close contact with infected persons, especially persons who show strong signs of the disease. In any case, however, the transmission is nowhere near as easy as most people believe - in popular thinking, simple contact with the lepers practically guarantees that they infect themselves, which is highly unlikely, not directly impossible.

Since the World Health Organization has developed a decision to eliminate the threat of leprosy worldwide, the occurrence of the disease has been drastically reduced. Between 2003 and 2004V new cases have been reduced byMore than 20%, up to more than 400,000 worldwide. Of the remaining cases of leprosy, most of them are in Africa, Latin America and Asia, with almost 90% of all cases of leprosy found in Nepal, Brazil, Madagascar, Mozambique and Tanzania. India has proved to be a powerful model of what education and drug payout can do to eliminate lepers, and the number of cases in this country has decreased significantly in a few years.

One of the most difficult challenges for groups, such as the World Health Organization, which needs to be overcome in their struggle against leprosy, is a deeply rooted social stigma associated with illness. In many cultures, leprosy is considered a divine punishment, and those affected are often frightened from society as a whole. The colonies and aszys of the lepers have existed in many countries for many hundreds of years, because the places where the group to leave their lepers and let them die of illness in exile. While the leper colonies of Primarillas exist in DevelopmentIn recent years, the Japanese government has come under intensive criticism for its own colonies in recent years.

In general, the global view of leprosy seems to be very favorable, and the program of the "final push" of the World Health Organization causes significant penetration, even in countries where it once considered itself beyond the help. If things continue as they are, leprosy can go on the path of smallpox and child palsy and become nothing but a historical artifact.