$Unique_ID{BRK00990}
$Pretitle{Infections or Parasites}
$Title{Has Leprosy in This Country Been Wiped Out?}
$Subject{leprosy statistics}
$Volume{A}
$Log{}

Copyright (c) 1991   Tribune Media Services, Inc.


Has Leprosy in This Country Been Wiped Out?


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QUESTION:  There are a few dollars riding on this one.  While I take the
position that there are still cases of leprosy in this country, my friend
believes it has generally been wiped out here and that only a few cases still
exist, and only in poorer countries.  Who takes home the money?

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ANSWER:  You do my friend, going away.  There are, in fact, over 5 million
registered cases of leprosy in the world, and experts believe the actual
figure is probably nearer to 12 million.  Approximately 3000 cases are here in
the United States and some 200 patients are cared for at the National Hansen's
Disease Center in Carville, Louisiana.  There were even 46 new cases reported
by the New York City Department of Health in 1984, the highest number in many
years.  Gerhard Armauer Hansen, a Norwegian physician for whom the disease is
now named, discovered the bacteria responsible for the disease in 1874, before
the discoveries of Pasteur and Koch of bacteria that caused anthrax and
tuberculosis.  Prior to Hansen's work, it was thought that leprosy was
inherited and incurable.  Today, Hansen's Disease may be treated by a number
of medications, used in combination, including dapsone, clofazimine, rifampin
and ethionamide, which are capable of curing the infection.

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The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace 
the counsel and advice of your personal physician.  Promptly consulting your 
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical 
problem.
