Leprosy has always been a concern of public health throughout the world. This disease has been mistaken with the leprosy of the Old Testament, which is not the Hansen’s disease.
The microbe that causes leprosy, Mycobacterium leprae, is an acid fast organism difficult to grow in vitro. In the United States, the armadillo is the animal that is able to carry the disease and transmit it to humans. Manifestations of leprosy depend on the host immune response ranging from tuberculoid to lepromatous leprosy (multibacillary to paucibacillary). The skin, nerves, and eyes are the parts mostly affected by the disease. Skin lesions, loss of vision, numbness, weakness, and eye pain present in those affected. In order to diagnose patients, physical …show more content…
Because of fear, stigma and discrimination arise. There are so many misconceptions about the way leprosy is. Some of those affected by leprosy have been left untreated and lead to disabilities causing stigma. Many aspects of life of those affected have been influenced by stigma. Stigma causes inequality in communities. Due to visible signs of leprosy, infected patients, regardless of their gender, age, and social class, they are treated as if they were not human beings. People with leprosy suffer emotional stress and anxiety, and this causes them to isolate from others. They may withdraw from treatment due to the lack of motivation. The status of patients with leprosy decrease and they think that the only way of survival will be to beg. Due to the misconceptions about leprosy, those affected along with their family members are denied opportunities as everyone else. Stigma causes patients to stop seeking further treatments denying their condition. For this reason, the disease can get worse, the transmission can also increase. There are interventions that need to be used to fight stigma. These are rehabilitating patients, integrating programs, media campaigns, and changing the image of the