THE LEPROSY TRUST OF INDIA

ROTARY CLUB VICTORIA PROJECT VISIT

What is leprosy?

Leprosy is a medical condition, also known as Hansen's Disease, after Armauer Hansen, a Norwegian doctor who was the first to view the leprosy microbe under a microscope in 1873. It is neither hereditary nor flesh eating.You may think that it is a disease of the past. But leprosy is still highly prevalent affecting hundreds of thousands of people around the world, mainly in Asia, South America and Africa. Last year over 296,000 new cases were detected - that's over 800 people every day...
What causes leprosy?

Leprosy is caused by Mycobacterium leprae (related to the TB mycobacterium). It is probably spread by airborne infection – coughing and sneezing. The first outward sign of leprosy is a patch on the skin, usually associated with loss of feeling. Leprosy is still surrounded by myths, stigma and fear. It was thought that leprosy caused fingers and toes to drop off - it doesn't! However, because leprosy attacks surface nerves in cool spots of the body, your fingers and toes can become anaesthetised - they stop feeling pain. They can then easily become injured through stiffness, cuts, burns and bruises and you wouldn't feel a thing. Infection sets in which results in tissue loss, fingers and toes shorten as cartilage is absorbed by the body and bones become irreparably damaged.Therefore while leprosy doesn't cause fingers or toes to drop off, it is capable of causing disability and even blindness if left untreated.
Is leprosy infectious?

Yes, but it is very difficult to catch and cannot be caught by a handshake. Over 95% of people are immune and after only a couple of days on treatment, sufferers are no longer infectious.

Is leprosy curable?

Yes! Leprosy is curable with Multidrug Therapy (MDT), a powerful combination of two to three drugs: clofazimine, rifampicin and dapsone. Mild, non-infectious cases of leprosy need treatment with two drugs for 6 months. More severe infectious cases need all three drugs for up to a 24 month period. There is however no effective preventative vaccine - which is why early detection and treatment with MDT are so vital.

How many people are affected by leprosy?

Every year between 200,000 and 400,000 new cases of leprosy are found around the world. In 2005 the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported that over 296,000 new cases of leprosy were detected. Over 70% of new cases are found in India. In Mozambique, Indonesia, DR Congo and Brazil new cases of leprosy continue to increase each year.However, many cases will still go undetected each year, particularly in very rural areas where even basic health care is limited.
In addition, the total number of people affected by leprosy, including those who have completed their medical treatment but have a disability or are stigmatised remains very high, at around 3 million. Fear of the disease which often causes rejection and exclusion from one's home and community can often do more damage than the disease itself. Approximately 12% of new cases found by TLM, are already suffering some form of irreversible disability or deformity.

People affected by leprosy need more than just medicine!TLM programmes deliver a combination of compassion and action. While we do identify and assist people to a cure and treat physical impairments through reconstructive surgery we also invest in education, vocational training, counselling and socio-economic rehabilitation.

To find out more about how TLM works towards a world without leprosy, click on the links below:
http://www.leprosymission.org/web/pages/leprosy/leprosy.html

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FERNANDO