Leprosy, the Bible's most dread disease, remains among us

famous painting of Francis of Assisi and the Leper

Carol Forsloff----Many of us shudder at the very word: leprosy. Christ was said to have healed a leper, and early Christians were overcome with the miracle because people shunned the lepers, as it was so disfiguring and had no cure. How far have we come, however, in 2000 years, with modern medicine, when it comes to leprosy, the much-feared disease? 

Reports from the World Health Organization place Indonesia as the third leading nation for numbers of people with leprosy at more than 22,000 persons. These people are often shunned by their families and friends, are unable to find work and relegated to living in the poorer regions. The numbers have grown by more than 2000 since 2011. 

Brazil has 29,761 people with leprosy, and India, at 83,041 is the nation with the highest numbers of lepers.

As lepers lose sensation in their fingers and toes, amputations often follow. There are also facial deformities that are caused by damaged nerves. 

Lepers continue to be ostracized by society and live separately because of the disease and its disfigurement, According to H.M. Subuh, a senior Health Ministry official for infectious diseases told a media outlet connected with reporting humanitarian affairs that the lepers are stigmatized and even rejected by public services, so they often lack help from anyone.

According to experts there are about 180,000 individuals with leprosy worldwide. The United States has 200. 

It often takes years for sores to develop, however there is a cure for leprosy that consists of several antibiotics that are taken from six months to a year. There is no treatment, however, for the nerve damage.

An update on the status of leprosy, the patients and cure for the disease, that WHO hopes people will watch on video, reminds us of the fact that leprosy remains a curse for those who have it, who are neglected and end up living sad, hopeless and painful lives. The film is a reminder there is a cure, so folks can be supported in getting help and the public encouraged to support that help and not reject the leper patients who need it.