Leprosy

Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, is a chronic bacterial infection that mainly affects the skin, peripheral nerves, and eyes. With prompt treatment it is fully curable, and treated individuals stop being infectious very quickly, but delayed treatment can lead to permanent nerve damage and disability.

• Pale or reddish skin patches with reduced sensation (numbness) to touch, temperature, or pain
• Thickened or tender peripheral nerves, often near the elbow, wrist, or knee
• Muscle weakness, particularly of the hands or feet, from nerve involvement
• Loss of sensation can lead to unnoticed injuries and, over time, deformity if untreated
• Eyebrow thinning or nasal changes can occur in more advanced disease

• Caused by Mycobacterium leprae bacteria.
• Believed to spread mainly through prolonged close contact with an untreated, infectious case, likely via respiratory droplets, though transmission requires extended exposure and most people are naturally resistant.
• It is not highly contagious, and treated individuals rapidly become non-infectious.

• Diagnosed clinically based on characteristic skin patches with reduced sensation, together with thickened peripheral nerves.
• Skin smear examination for the bacteria supports the diagnosis, particularly to help classify the type of leprosy, which guides treatment duration.

Leprosy is fully curable with multidrug therapy, a combination of antibiotics (typically including dapsone, rifampicin, and clofazimine) taken for six months to a year depending on the type of leprosy, provided free of charge through national leprosy control programmes in endemic countries.

Treatment is highly effective, and infectiousness drops rapidly, often within days, after starting multidrug therapy.

Regular self-care of numb areas — checking for injuries, wearing protective footwear, and moisturising dry skin — helps prevent complications such as ulcers and deformity, since loss of sensation removes the normal protective response to injury.

Nerve damage that has already occurred at diagnosis may not fully reverse with treatment, making early diagnosis and treatment important to prevent permanent disability.

• Seek prompt evaluation for any unexplained numb skin patch, especially in an area where leprosy is known to occur.
• Complete the full course of multidrug therapy once started, even after skin patches improve, to ensure the infection is fully cleared.
• Support community leprosy screening and treatment programmes in endemic areas.
• Practise regular self-checks and skin care for anyone with numbness from leprosy to prevent unnoticed injury and disability.