What is Leprosy?
Leprosy is an infectious condition that causes skin sores and nerve damage on the legs and arms.
Leprosy has been known to be around since ancient times and the victims were often stigmatized and even out-casted. Leprosy has affected and panicked people in China, Egypt and India where people considered it to be an incurable contagious disease.
Each year about 180000 people new Leprosy cases are diagnosed worldwide, despite what is believed Leprosy is not that contagious, a person only catches it if they come in close contact with the nose and mouth fluid of the infected person.
Symptoms
Leprosy actually develops in 3-5 years after the person gets in contact with the bacteria. In some people the symptoms don’t show until 20 years later. The time frame in between is called the incubation period.
Following are few of the symptoms for Leprosy
- Disfiguring skin tones
- Skin sores that are pale in color
- Lumps & bumps on the skin on the arms & legs
- Nerve damage which can lead to
- Loss of feeling in the arms & legs
- Muscle weakness
Leprosy is very much curable, the treatment depends on the type of Leprosy the patient has. Doctor conducts a skin biopsy to diagnose the type and the severity of leprosy. Anti-inflammatory drugs and anti-biotics are prescribed to treat the patients. Compared to the old times, when health care was for the privileged & rich. Today, health care technology has made it possible for all kinds of people from even the remote/rural areas to access quality treatments.
Thanks to progress in medical science and modern health care technology & services like CloudClinik, diseases like Leprosy have treatments available.
