While Leprosy is not a major problem in South Africa, there are between 3,000 and 4,000 people living with the disease in South Africa.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), people most affected by the disease are in Mpumalanga and northern KwaZulu-Natal.
Affected people are in more than 120 countries, with about 200,000 new cases reported every year.
Although there is a decline in the number of cases, 12 countries have reported somewhere between 1,000 to 10,000 new cases in 2024.
These countries are Brazil, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines, Somalia, Sri Lanka and the United Republic of Tanzania.
Fifty-five (55) countries reported 0 cases and 117 reported fewer than 1000 new cases.
Symptoms of the disease are changes of the skin to form reddish patches, numbness, muscle weakness leading to paralysis in hands and feet, resulting in injuries like painless foot sores, loss of eyebrows and eyelashes, and potential blindness.
Early detection of the disease is key, because it is curable.
Although contagious, it requires prolonged close contact to carry through sneezing and coughing.
Picture: DocTutorials.