Leprosy (cont.)
How is leprosy prevented?
Prevention of contact with droplets from nasal and other secretions from
patients with untreated M. leprae infection currently is a way to avoid the
disease. Treatment of patients with appropriate antibiotics stops the person
from spreading the disease. People that live with individuals that have
untreated leprosy are about eight times as likely to develop the disease, because
investigators speculate that family members have close proximity to infectious
droplets. Leprosy is not hereditary.
Many people get exposed to leprosy throughout the world, but the disease in not
highly contagious; researchers suggest that over 95% of exposures result in no
disease. In the U.S., there are about 200-300 new cases diagnosed per year, with
most coming from exposures during foreign travel. The majority of worldwide
cases are found in the tropics or subtropics (for example, Brazil, India, and
Indonesia). The WHO reports about 500,000 to 700,000 new cases per year worldwide,
with curing of about 14 million cases since 1985.
There is no vaccine available to prevent leprosy. Animals (chimpanzees, mangabey
monkeys, and nine-banded armadillos) rarely transfer M. leprae to humans;
nonetheless, handling such animals in the wild is not advised.
Where can I find more information on leprosy?
http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/dfbmd/disease_listing/leprosy_ti.html
http://www.who.int/lep/classification/en/index.html
http://www.who.int/lep/mdt/en/
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1104977-overview
http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/leprosy/Understanding/today.htm
- Leprosy is a slowly developing, progressive disease that damages the skin and nervous system.
- Leprosy is caused by an infection with Mycobacterium leprae bacteria.
- Early symptoms begin in cooler areas of the body and include loss of sensation.
- Signs of leprosy are painless ulcers, skin lesions of hypopigmented macules (flat, pale areas of skin) and eye damage (dryness, reduced blinking). Later, large ulcerations, loss of digits, skin nodules, and facial disfigurement may develop.
- The infection is spread person to person by nasal secretions or droplets.
- Antibiotics are used in the treatment of leprosy.
Last Editorial Review: 6/11/2009
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