Situation and vulnerability
Transmission is associated with close and prolonged contact with an untreated person. Stigma can delay the use of care.
Signs and limits of their interpretation
A pale or red skin spot with loss of sensitivity, thickened nerve or muscle weakness may guide the assessment.
Diagnosis and monitoring
The diagnosis is mainly clinical, sometimes supplemented by laboratory tests. The loss of sensitivity should be examined; a photograph alone does not confirm the disease.
Check these benchmarks in the WHO reference →
Prevention and care
The disease is curable by a combination of medicines. Contact testing and possible prevention are organised by the health services; social exclusion is not justified.
Practical issues
Does a handshake or shared meal transmit leprosy?
WHO indicates that it is not transmitted through regular contacts such as shaking hands, sharing meals or sitting next door. The treatment interrupts the transmission.
Preparing for an exchange with a professional
- Initiation and development of lesions
- Areas of numbness or weakness
- Protracted contacts and previous salaries
Bring the full minutes and dates. This information facilitates evaluation; its collection must not delay an urgent appeal.
Image generated by artificial intelligence. AI illustration; it does not depict a disease, biological agent or diagnosis.
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Related fact sheets
These sheets share ways or contexts of exhibition in our catalogue. This reconciliation does not establish a differential diagnosis.
- Diphtheria
- Haemophilus influenzae infection
- Infection with Mycoplasma pneumoniae
- Pneumococcal infection
- Group A streptococcal infection
- Meningococcal meningitis
Compare Leprosy with associated sheets →
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