Leprosy: what is it and how terrible

Lepra for many centuries was a scarecrow for all continents. She was feared on a par with the plague. In the Middle Ages the sick person was considered dead, barely showed the first signs of leprosy; In the church there was a funeral service and even was buried in the cemetery (though not completely - after completing the rite, they dug out and were taken to the leper colony).

About the disease itself

Those who go to rest or travel to exotic countries, it is worth knowing, leprosy - what kind of illness is it. This boundary obligation is due to the fact that such a disease is inherent in the tropics. Even in the Middle Ages, it was imported into Europe by traders, travelers and knights who performed spiritual feats. In the modern world, the greatest danger to catch leprosy is Brazil (oddly enough, because it is not the most impoverished place on Earth). The second in terms of leprosy is India, which is not too surprising; Yet this country still suffers from unsanitary conditions and weak medical equipment. It should be taken into account - not such a rare disease leprosy. That this leprosy is known to a rather large number of people, but how it manifests itself, how it is transmitted and what threatens - very few.

Pathogens and carriers

The insidiousness of leprosy is that it is always very difficult to establish how a person has become infected. It has long been known that the causative agent of leprosy is a bacterium, named after the names of "pioneers", that is, scientists Naisser and Hansen. It is precisely known how the leprosy is transmitted. That this is possible only from a sick person to a healthy one has been established definitely. Moreover, there is a high probability of tactile contact, although an air-drop variant is also possible. Although different sources contradict each other. There is an opinion that infection through respiration is the main way by which leprosy penetrates the body. That it is a delusion or an established fact, it is difficult to find out, although in the middle, "dense" centuries, it was precisely the touch of the infected that was afraid. There have been cases of transmission of the disease from an infected mother to a child; But if intrauterine infection has not occurred, the children eliminated from sick parents do not get leprosy.

Manifestations of leprosy

One of the most vile features of leprosy is a very long incubation period. The standard period is up to 5 years. But there are cases when from the moment of infection leprosy to the first signs of its presence in the body passed 10, and 15, and 20 years. The first "swallows" of leprosy are similar to many other diseases: drowsiness, general weakness, apathy, sometimes - numbness of fingers and toes, indistinct tubercles on the skin, which are usually perceived by doctors as ordinary wen. She is treacherous, leprosy. That this is leprosy, and not some "transitory" ailments, according to such doubtful signs, no doctor will guess, except that specializes in tropical diseases and knows that you once visited the risk zone.

The consequences of leprosy

Even from classical, however, mostly adventure works, it is known that leprosy (leprosy) leads to loss of sensitivity and disfigurement of a person. Another manifestation of leprosy is the disappearance of some part of the body. In medicine, this phenomenon is called mutation. The face, arms and legs acquire a completely chimerical appearance due to tumors; Any wound immediately begins to rot.

Logical conclusions

The main thing that is worth remembering: leprosy is theoretically not fatal. But! It leads to the defeat of vital organs, the refusal of which in any case entails death. In addition, leprosy is fraught not only with deformities, but also with blindness, loss of ability to work and long-term presence in leprosarium, after which a person is unlikely to manage without a dense course of social adaptation. So, when planning a trip to Burma, Brazil or India, take an interest in leprosy in the areas that you intend to visit.