Leprosy's Stigma

By Patrick
A reader writes:

While I entirely agree with your post on HIV and immigration, one small correction. Leprosy is not very contagious. A person with normal nutrition and a healthy immune system stands no chance of getting infected. Infections are actually very difficult to acquire and mostly come in people who are severely malnourished over a long period (not something that really happens in the US except in cases of abuse). How do I know this? My dad ran a leper colony (not the politcally correct term but you know what I mean) when I was kid and I've had my hair ruffled by a great many fingerless and noseless old man and woman. No sign of leprosy yet. Indeed, I was recently tested for it as part of a Green Card application and was negative.

Just as pointless and discriminatory as the HIV policy is the one demanding tests for leprosy. Lou Dobbs jumped on this, claiming that immigrants had brought in thousands of cases of leprosy. Complete nonsense and anyway, it is easily treatable with antibiotics. Only the truly ignorant attach moral stigma to illness.

Another adds:

Leprosy (a.k.a. Hansen’s Disease) is a slowly developing, chronic bacterial infection. 95% of the population is naturally resistant. Leprosy affects peripheral nerves and can lead to disability and deformity if untreated. However, leprosy is easily treatable with a combination of very effective antibiotics. Patients with leprosy bear the burden of incredible stigmatization from centuries of misinformation. The additional burden of being worse than HIV infection is grossly unwarranted.