Hansen's Disease (Leprosy)

Hansen’s disease, more commonly known as leprosy, is an infection which affects the skin, eyes, and nerves. It is characterized by skin lesions (can be a single lesion) which are lighter (may also be reddish) than the surrounding normal skin. Most of the lesions are flat, raised, or appear as nodules. The other symptoms include sensory loss, thickened nerves, painless ulcers on the soles, loss of eyebrows or eyelashes, and painless lumps on the ears or face. A diagnosis of Hansen’s disease is confirmed through skin or nerve sample tests.

This is caused by Mycobacterium leprae which are slow-growing bacteria. It was believed to be a highly contagious disease but it actually does not spread that easily and there are available effective treatments. In fact, a close contact with someone infected for many months is needed to catch leprosy. Merely shaking hands, sitting together, or any other casual contact with a patient will not spread the bacteria. Physicians think that it may be transmitted by breathing in droplets from an infected person’s cough or sneeze. However, the disease can progress to paralysis, blindness, nose disfigurement, and crippling if left untreated. Hence, it is important to diagnose the disease early so antibiotics treatment can prevent permanent nerve damage. Strangely, most reported cases in North America are actually traced back to having had contact with Armadillos.