LEPROSY: BACTERIAL DISEASE AFFECTING HUMANS

Leprosy has afflicted humanity since time immemorial. At one time it affected every continent and left behind a terrible image in the history and memory of mankind of mutilation, rejection and exclusion from society. Leprosy or Hansen's disease is one of the oldest diseases of mankind. It is an infectious disease spread throughout the world, caused by a rod-shaped bacterium, Mycobacterium leprae. Neither the route of infection, nor the reservoirs, nor the vectors capable of transmitting it are known. It is assumed that the most probable form of contagion is prolonged and intimate contact with a sick person (person to person). The disease mainly affects the skin, the peripheral nerves, the mucosa of the upper respiratory tract and also the eyes, as well as some other structures. However, the social image of leprosy has changed in recent decades. All countries have officially adopted outpatient treatment and have gradually closed the old, stigmatised leprosaria.