Leprosy microbes lead scientists to immune discovery
With the unusual opportunity that human leprosy infections provide for study of human immune responses, scientists have discovered how the body's early warning system prompts a rapid immune response by two separate armies of defensive cells. The finding helps explain why, when threatened by microbes like the leprosy bug, this initial defense sometimes succeeds in limiting the damage, but in other...Leprosy genome tells story of human migrations, French researchers report in Science
A French genetics study comparing strains of leprosy-causing bacteria has revealed some surprises about how the pathogen evolved and how it was spread across the continents by human migrations. The research, led by scientists at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, appears in the 13 May issue of the journal Science, published by AAAS, the nonprofit science society. The findings indicate that t...International Team Determines Geographic Origin of Leprosy
Leprosy likely originated in East Africa and spread to Asia and Europe before being imported into West Africa by explorers, report scientists in this week's issue of Science. The findings enrich the historical understanding of leprosy's global migration and contradict a commonly held view that leprosy spread to West Africa directly from East Africa, say the researchers. The international t...Once-dreaded leprosy 'replaced' by tuberculosis, say researchers
What caused leprosy ?a widely dreaded disease in medieval Europe ?to fade from the scene? By the 16th century, the scourge had practically disappeared there. Their conclusion is based upon th...Final push to eradicate leprosy
The governments of countries where leprosy is still a health problem need to ensure their people understand that it is an easily curable disease, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said. Partners in WHO's Global Alliance for the Elimination of Leprosy// are meeting in Brazil for their annual meeting. Brazil is one of six countries in the world where leprosy remains a major public health issu...New clues about immune system from leprosy microbes
Scientists from UCLA and Harvard School of Medicine have successfully discovered how the body’s immune system// fights in limiting the control of infections like leprosy in some cases but not in others. The research says that the body’s initial immune system often fights with the infections in the initial stages and sometimes succeeds in controlling them. Only when they are unable to c...India Targets Eliminating Leprosy
Health Officials in India have revealed that the country is moving further towards eliminating leprosy. The country has set itself a target of less than one leprosy infected person for every 10,000 people. During the early 1980s, when the Multi Drug Therapy (MDT) was yet to be introduced in the country, the figures were at 57.6 cases for every 10,000 people. This rate has now come down to 1.06 as...Nippon Foundation To Help Leprosy Patients
Japan based charity organization Nippon Foundation has announced that it will spend an amount of US$ 10 million towards empowering and rehabilitating // leprosy patients in India. Yohoi Sasakawa, the Chairman of the foundation has revealed that the amount will be raised in a year's time, and it will be utilized towards special micro-financing schemes and vocational training centers for the people...Is complete eradication of Leprosy possible in India?
In India the prevalence of leprosy is decreasing to about 0.95 cases per 10,000 population. The health care minister announced that leprosy is eliminated from India. // But this statement is very ambiguous because it does not mean that the disease is completely eliminated but the prevalence is significantly reduced. It is reduced o the rate of less than one case per 10,000 population....