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CDC is not responsible for Section compliance accessibility on other federal or private website. How leprosy is transmitted It is not known how leprosy is transmitted. It is thought likely that leprosy is spread from person to person in respiratory droplets droplets expelled from the nose and mouth, for example when an infected person coughs or sneezes. In cases of leprosy in children under one year of age, it is thought possible that the infection may have been transmitted from the mother via the placenta.
Leprosy is not highly infectious. People at risk are generally in close and frequent contact with leprosy patients or living in countries where the disease is more common. The incubation period is thought to range from nine months to over 20 years. Before the introduction of multi-drug therapy in the early s, leprosy could only be slowed but not cured, as the bacteria could not be killed. Now, with the use of antibiotics and with other medicines, the disease is curable.
Once a person with leprosy begins appropriate treatment, they quickly become non-infectious. There is no vaccine generally available to specifically prevent leprosy. However, the vaccine against tuberculosis TB , called the BCG vaccine, may provide some protection against leprosy.
This is because the organism that causes leprosy is closely related to the one that causes TB. This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:. Acne is common and can make people of all ages feel embarrassed, but treatments can help if acne is causing distress. Anthrax is a rare but potentially fatal bacterial disease that occasionally infects humans. The Western obsession with cleanliness may be partly responsible for the increase in allergic asthma and conditions such as rhinitis.
Careful prescribing of antibiotics will minimise the emergence of antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria. Aspergillus is a fungus that commonly grows on rotting vegetation. But when immunity is lowered due to poor nutrition, illness and general living conditions, people are more likely to catch leprosy. In some countries, people are afraid of leprosy, due to ancient myths and superstitions or a lack of understanding.
People may not want to touch someone affected by leprosy in case they too get the disease. Or they may not understand that someone is leprosy free after completing treatment. People affected by leprosy are often subjected to stigma and discrimination. They can be rejected by their families, friends and communities. Many people lose their jobs and struggle to find new employment. Others lose their homes or find themselves excluded from school. This word is offensive to people affected by the disease.
It is associated with the prejudice and appalling treatment they have faced. About leprosy What is leprosy? What are the symptoms of leprosy? Does leprosy still exist? What are the complications associated with leprosy? Is there a cure for leprosy?
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