I am spending 2 months in a hospital in Addis Ababa learning about leprosy and helping to improve the hospital’s self care teaching provision for patients.
Leprosy is an infectious disease of the nerves and the skin. It is one of the oldest diseases that we know about. It is contagious, but not nearly as contagious as people think.
Transmission is probably due to nasal droplets but requires very long periods of close contact to be transmitted. People have been known to catch leprosy from a minimum of 2 years after exposure to a maximum of 30 years after exposure. Also, 95% of people have an immune system such that they are unable to contract leprosy. Furthermore, leprosy is a curable disease, and if caught early the patient will make a full recovery with no nerve damage. Sadly this happens less often than it should.
Leprosy is treated with 3 antibiotics for a year, but a couple of days after the first dose the person is no longer contagious. Sadly the stigma is so great that many people fear diagnosis, unintentionally making the situation worse for themselves and others.
Anna’s adventures 