LEPROSY Introduction

LEPROSY Introduction

Leprosy , also called Hansen’s disease, is a chronic infectious disease caused by an acid-fast bacillus, Mycobacterium leprae, that is widely prevalent in the tropics. Globally , India, Brazil, Nepal, Mozambique, Angola and Myanmar account for 91% of all cases; India alone accounts for 78% of the world’s disease. Patients su ff er not only from the primary e ff ects of the disease but also from social discrimination, sadly compounded by use of the word ‘leper’ for one a ffl icted with this disease. Close contact over a long duration (several years) is required for disease transmission. Ignorance of this fact on the part of the general public results in ostracism and social stigma. His - tory records that in the distant past su ff erers were made to wear cow bells so that other people could avoid them. The use of the term ‘leper’, still used metaphorically to denote an outcast, does not help to break down the social barriers that continue to exist against the su ff erer. LEPROSY Introduction

Leprosy , also called Hansen’s disease, is a chronic infectious disease caused by an acid-fast bacillus, Mycobacterium leprae, that is widely prevalent in the tropics. Globally , India, Brazil, Nepal, Mozambique, Angola and Myanmar account for 91% of all cases; India alone accounts for 78% of the world’s disease. Patients su ff er not only from the primary e ff ects of the disease but also from social discrimination, sadly compounded by use of the word ‘leper’ for one a ffl icted with this disease. Close contact over a long duration (several years) is required for disease transmission. Ignorance of this fact on the part of the general public results in ostracism and social stigma. His - tory records that in the distant past su ff erers were made to wear cow bells so that other people could avoid them. The use of the term ‘leper’, still used metaphorically to denote an outcast, does not help to break down the social barriers that continue to exist against the su ff erer. LEPROSY Introduction

Leprosy , also called Hansen’s disease, is a chronic infectious disease caused by an acid-fast bacillus, Mycobacterium leprae, that is widely prevalent in the tropics. Globally , India, Brazil, Nepal, Mozambique, Angola and Myanmar account for 91% of all cases; India alone accounts for 78% of the world’s disease. Patients su ff er not only from the primary e ff ects of the disease but also from social discrimination, sadly compounded by use of the word ‘leper’ for one a ffl icted with this disease. Close contact over a long duration (several years) is required for disease transmission. Ignorance of this fact on the part of the general public results in ostracism and social stigma. His - tory records that in the distant past su ff erers were made to wear cow bells so that other people could avoid them. The use of the term ‘leper’, still used metaphorically to denote an outcast, does not help to break down the social barriers that continue to exist against the su ff erer.