Leprosy is a complex infectious disease that is caused by bacteria. It is also known as Hansen's disease.
Although leprosy has been recognized as a disease for several thousands of years, Dr. Gerhard Armauer Hansen, a Norwegian scientist, first discovered the cause of leprosy in 1873. Considerable progress has been made over the last 40 years so that today the majority of cases can be treated without too much difficulty and most of the fears generated by the folklore surrounding it can be counteracted.
The disease has erroneously been associated with biblical leprosy, which scholars believe was actually a variety of skin diseases categorized under the term leprosy. Some of these conditions could have included:
The cause of leprosy is an infection with the bacteria
Mycobacterium leprae. Mycobacterium leprae are part of the family
Mycobacteriaceae. This is the same family as the bacteria that cause
tuberculosis (
Mycobacterium tuberculosis).
Mycobacterium leprae grow slowly and mainly affect the skin, nerves, and mucous membranes. It can also affect the:
- Eyes
- Muscles
- Bones
- Testes.
The illness can occur at any age, but cases of leprosy under age 1 are rare. Up to 20 percent of cases occur before the age of 10. In children, the disease occurs equally in males and females. In adults, it is twice as common in males as females.
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