It appears tropical diseases like leprosy, malaria, tuberculosis are being neglected and overlooked following the outbreak of COVID-19.
Currently, research has been focused on COVID-19. Why the attention on the dreaded disease is important, the world must not neglect other diseases such as leprosy, which has many people globally suffering from it.
Nigeria, like many other parts of the world, has many cases of leprosy. Recently, Kano State announced a record of 188 new cases of the infectious disease.
In this write up about leprosy CHIKA OSUJI wrote:
When I was much younger, I was made to believe that leprosy is caused and transmitted when a cockroach creeps on your skin, but it’s not far from that anyway.
Leprosy is an infectious disease, although cockroaches are believed to be carriers of the leprae through their faeces, they are not the major cause.
If you have heard myths about leprosy, this article will debunk them and unravel facts about the causes of leprosy, its mode of transmission, symptoms and treatment.
What is leprosy
Leprosy is an infectious progressive disease caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium leprae that spreads through the body slowly.
This is an age-old disease that has been there since the beginning of time. it’s often thought to be a curse and people infected with it were sent out of the community to live in isolation or with other infected people. If you remember, in the Bible you read “and he was afflicted with leprosy”, “and leprosy broke out on his forehead”.
Because of this biblical reference, people tend to believe that it’s a curse for doing something evil.
Although the number of cases may not be growing rapidly, people still get infected and are not even sure what’s happening to them until it has degenerated. That’s why the leprosy awareness day or World Leprosy Day is still being recognized.
The day was established in 1954 by a french philanthropist Raoul follereau. The last Sunday of January every year has been set aside to create more awareness about this disease and this year’s Leprosy Day was marked on 31th January.
According to WHO leprosy spreads more in areas with high rates of poverty with Brazil, Indonesia and India being the endemic countries with up to 80 percent of the total world leprosy cases. More than 200,000 cases are reported worldwide annually.
Leprosy tends to be prevalent in the northern part of Nigeria, a study by a group of doctors proves this.
According to the study, “Three states (Sokoto, Zamfara and Kebbi) out of the four states with intense transmission of leprosy are situated in the North-West geopolitical zone which also has the highest relative poverty rate in the country. Leprosy maintains the vicious cycle of poverty and disease: where poverty and poor sanitary environment may predispose individuals to the disease and those infected with leprosy have limited access to prevention and treatment and the ensuing disability from delayed diagnosis and the associated stigma prevent them from attaining full economic potential in life”.
Leprosy officially is now known as Hansen’s disease.
Causes of leprosy
It is caused by a rare type of bacteria. According to findings, all other bacteria can be grown and studied in a lab but this particular one responsible for leprosy survives only in living organisms which makes extensive study about it a bit difficult.
Hansen’s disease(HD) is a nerve disease that affects the skin, the lining of the nose and upper respiratory tracts. If you have come across an infected person you’d notice they have skin sores or skin ulcer, nerve damage that causes parts of their bodies to fall apart and general disfigurement.
This does not mean that once you have the infection the body will begin to fall apart. The nerves in the body are cable-like, a bundle of fibres that is responsible for the transmission of electrical impulses throughout the nervous system. If the sensory nerves that are responsible for making you feel cold, heat, pain and pressure are damaged the injured part of the body will not receive that message when the brain transmits it so this is the major reason why people with leprosy have sores with their fingers and toes falling off. It is usually a minor injury that degenerates and results in what we see as disfigurement or deformity.
Leprosy is infectious but a good number of people are immune to it. There’s a huge chance that if you come in contact with it your body may resist it if your immune system is working optimally. Just like Coronavirus, we are told that if one’s immune system is strong and currently not fighting any other illness, chances of recovery is higher than someone with a weak immune system.
The incubation period of mycobacterium is however very long, it can be in your system for up to five years and it may take up to 20 years before symptoms begin to show.
Symptoms of leprosy
The main symptoms of Leprosy include
- Muscle weakness
- Skin ulcer or lesion
- Numbness in the arm, hands, feet and legs
How is leprosy transmitted?
Leprosy is known to be prevalent in poor overcrowded settlements with poor access to healthcare. This disease is believed to be spread through close contact with an infected person’s mucosal excretion when the person sneezes or coughs. This tells why leprosy is usually found within a cluster of people; within a family, a region, neighbourhoods and households.
The Armadillo, an animal in southern America and Mexico is also believed to carry this bacteria and can transfer it to humans. Thankfully we do not have an armadillo in this part of the world.
How is leprosy diagnosed and treated
If the symptoms listed above are persistent, a visit to the doctor should be the next line of action. The doctor will conduct a physical exam looking for signs of the disease and if the skin already has a sore the doctor will take part of the skin to the lab for proper testing called a biopsy.
Leprosy is a curable disease and WHO has made an effort to provide free treatment to totally eradicate the disease.
Unlike regular e coli bacteria that can replicate so much within 20 mins, mycobacterium leprae takes up to 2 weeks to replicate that’s why it’s difficult to attack and treat instantly. Hence, treatment is done with a multidrug therapy (MDT) provided by WHO free of charge. The MDT is a combination of rifampicin, clofazimine and dapsone for MB leprosy patients and rifampicin and dapsone for PB leprosy patients. They are all antibiotics but not all antibiotics can be used. Doctors prescribe medication according to what the test results show including an antileprosy drug.
Treatment may extend up to one to two years for the bacteria to fully clear out and this is another issue of concern. Because of the treatment duration, people usually do not follow through with the medication. Yes, taking medication can be a herculean task but once the medication and treatment are not completed, although visible changes may have occurred, there is a 100 percent chance that the disease would resurface and even become deadlier.
Takeaway
Leprosy is one of the most stigmatised diseases in the world. People living with it are isolated, dehumanised, lack access to some basic amenities and discriminated against. The number one way to fight it is to educate yourself and the people around you.
Just like every other bacteria infection, leprosy is curable and people living with the disease should not be written off. Endeavour to take part in any activity around you that gears towards creating awareness or whatever activity that relates to eradicating this disease.
So, as attention and research are now focused on coronavirus, the world must not neglect leprosy and other tropical diseases.