About Leprosy

Leprosy has long been associated with acute social stigma and was widely believed to be caused by a curse of the God or a consequence of the patient's misdeeds. This has largely been due to lack of knowledge of its causes and the absence of a cure for centuries. The dissemination of correct information as well as advances in the methods of treatment have gone a long way to alleviate the patient's physical and psychological suffering.

Leprosy is a chronic bacterial disease caused by Mycobacteriium Leprae. It affects mainly the skin, mucous membrane and peripheral nerves. While the exact mode of transmission is not known, household and prolonged contact seem to play an important role. The incubation period ranges from 9 months to 20 years.

Distribution of the disease is uneven although it is present throughout the country. At present, 5 States — Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh — contribute to 71 per cent of the country's caseload.

By March 2000, 9 States have achieved the goal of elimination by reaching a prevalence rate lower than 1 per 10,000 population.

Contrary to popular belief, only a small proportion of leprosy patients have the infectious form of the disease and a person under Multi Drug Therapy (MDT) treatment soon becomes non-infectious. The deformities it causes are not infectious.

Until 1981, monotherapy with dapsone and its derivatives was being used to treat leprosy. The introduction of Multi-Drug Therapy (MDT), recommended by WHO in 1981, has revolutionised leprosy treatment and dramatically reduced the number of cases worldwide. The MDT course has a duration of 6 months to 1 year. It is not only highly effective in curing leprosy, but also reduces the risk of relapse, is relatively inexpensive, prevents disabilities, interrupts transmission of infection and is well accepted by patients. For these reasons, MDT is central to the strategy for leprosy eradication and has been systematically adopted by all countries affected by the disease.