Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, is a chronic infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae.Leprosy is an ancient disease that has afflicted humans since before 300 BC. Recorded instances of Leprosy have been found in ancient texts from China, Egypt, and India, among others. Contrary to popular belief, Leprosy does not cause body parts, such as fingers, toes, etc, to simply fall off.

Since ancient times, Leprosy has had a serious social stigma attached to it, where sufferers are treated as outcasts and believed to be "unclean" or "cursed by God", and this stigma still lingers in many areas of the world today. This stigma prevents many people from seeking help or treatment when they contract the disease. Instead, they hide away until their symptoms are so severe that their condition is finally discovered. By then, irrecoverable damage may have been caused. Many people also believe that the Leprosy is highly contagious and incurable, but both of these myths are false. The forced quarantine and segregation of Leprosy sufferers is not necessary

Contrary to popular belief, Leprosy does not cause body parts, such as fingers, toes, etc, to simply fall off. While Leprosy affects the skin, nerves, and mucous membranes, the primary symptoms are: loss of sensation and lack of pain in the limb extremities, for example when injury occurs to a limb, skin lesions, nodules, plaques, thickened dermis, pigmented skin, and weakness

The loss of sensitivity in the limb extremities is why even small wounds can lead to undetected deterioration of the tissues. The lack of pain in the limb extremities compounds the problems because the person does not know they are injured. If left untreated, Leprosy can cause progressive and permanent damage to the skin, nerves, limbs, and eyes.

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