For thousands of years, people thought leprosy or Hansen’s disease to be a curse of the gods or a sin. The word leprosy has invoked disfigured and disturbing imagery of bodies. Leprosy has been so heavily stigmatised that now the term is synonymous with social isolation and abandonment. Social stigma has been a common feature of leprosy around the world even in countries like the US where leprosy is no longer endemic. Some of the common misconception surrounding leprosy continue to cause confusion and fuel stigma and discrimination. Expert Says Why It’s Dangerous To ‘Cure’ Leprosy With Alternative Medicine

Leprosy Myths That Fuel Stigma

People with leprosy do not need to stay isolated in special houses. Leprosy patients who are being treated with antibiotics can lead a normal life and continue to attend school and work. Also, remember that you cannot get leprosy from skin-to-skin contact. So, sitting next to someone with the disease will have no effect on you. What Is Leprosy? Know More About the Causes, Symptoms and Treatment of Hansen’s Disease

Beating the Stigma

The stigma of leprosy affects the social, economic, physical, and psychological well-being of those with leprosy, contributing to the cycle of poverty in the affected regions. Despite effective treatment, leprosy is one of the world’s most stigmatised diseases, and people living with leprosy-are shunned, discriminated and denied basic human rights. So educate yourself and others about leprosy and depict a positive image of leprosy and put all the efforts to promote a positive image of leprosy.

Leprosy Diagnosis

Early detection of leprosy is key to treat the disease. The disease is not debilitating if it is detected in the early stages and treated soon enough. A skin test, a skin-lesion biopsy or a skin-scraping examination typically helps diagnose leprosy. But while the treatment can cure the disease and even prevent it from getting worse, it does not reverse physical disfiguration or nerve damage that may have occurred before the diagnosis. Leprosy Returns to India: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment and Prevention of One of the LEAST Infectious Diseases in the World

Leprosy Treatment

Once the diagnosis is made, antibiotics, such as clofazimine, macrolides, rifampin, dapsone, fluoroquinolones, and minocycline, are used to kill the bacteria. Other antibiotics such as aspirin, prednisone, or thalidomide may also be prescribed to control inflammation. You must take the antibiotics until your doctor says your treatment is complete. If you stop taking the antibiotics earlier, the bacteria may start growing again and you may fall sick again.

Left untreated, leprosy can result in paralysis and crippling of hands and feet. In severe cases, leprosy can lead to multiple injuries due to lack of sensation, and eventually result in the apparent loss of toes and fingers. If the facial nerves are affected, it can result in corneal ulcers or blindness.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 30, 2020 12:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).