Disease as old as man, but its origins remain mysterious

By Tobin Jones

Leprosy, or Hansen's disease as it is officially known, is a disease whose origins can be traced as far back as 4000 BC.

Records in ancient civilisations, as far apart as Egypt, China and India all contain references of the disease, while the Bible refers to it several times.

Leprosy is caused by a bacterial infection and is quite hard to detect in its early stages, as symptoms are quite subtle for the first few years. When the disease does finally manifest itself, it tends to do so on the cooler areas of the body (fingers, toes, and nose), causing loss of feeling by damaging the nerves and creating skin lesions.

Eventually, if left untreated, it spreads throughout the body causing more damage to the nerves. As a result, toes and even whole legs can easily become infected, eventually the limbs falling off.

The method of transmission of leprosy has long been debated. Originally many thought that leprosy was a curse placed on the victim. Today, however, it is widely accepted that the primary mode of transmission of leprosy is through respiratory droplets.

Only through prolonged exposure to the disease in an endemic area, and with a weakened immune system, is the disease likely to be transmittable. Furthermore, 95 per cent of people appear to have a natural immunity to the leprosy-causing bacteria, making transmission almost impossible.

Leprosy is now easily treatable with antibiotics. Since 1985, the World Health Organisation has treated roughly 14 million patients living with the disease. Treatment consists of a regiment of several different drugs over approximately six months. While treatment is now available, early detection of the disease is necessary eliminate the disease altogether.

This is best achieved through the education of the public on how to detect the symptoms of leprosy so that it can be quickly treated.