I read Paul Brand's wonderful book Pain: The Gift Nobody Wants (Zondervan,
1993) when I was in nursing school, and was amazed to discover that Hansen's
disease (leprosy) does not in and of itself lead to the disfigurement we so
often imagine when we hear that word. Hansen's disease attacks peripheral
nerves, and so people who are not treated (these days with MDT - Multiple
Drug Treatment - therapy) do things like holding a hot iron with their
hands, leading to tissue damage and infection.

If the mom is taking her meds, she should be on the road to a complete
recovery. You can read more at the Wikipedia site (!)  which has a
well-referenced and very interesting article about leprosy. It's caused by a
mycobacterium with a waxy coating (like tuberculosis's waxy coating  - it's
also a mycobacterium).


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leprosy#_note-WHO_Factsheet

Age-old disease that it is, the mode of contagion is still being studied.
Apparently current thinking is that it is passed on through respiratory
droplets. Back to good handwashing and "doing it in our sleeves" (for a
great clip about THAT visit
http://www.coughsafe.com/media.html

Dawn Kersula MA, RN, IBCLC, FACCE and still learning every day in
Brattleboro Vermont USA

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