Leprosy

Léogane, Haiti – 21 July 2008

Leprosy is an infectious disease that has been known since at least 600 BC. Although the effective treatment for leprosy appeared already in the 1940s the disease has not been totally eradicated yet. The treatment is quite expensive and therefore was not widely adopted in most leprosy endemic countries. There are two to three million people worldwide who are permanently disabled because of leprosy. The World Leprosy Day is held on Sunday January 25, 2009.