The first case of leprosy in Chile was confirmed on Monday 31 July in Valdivia. The disease was diagnosed in a 28-year-old Haitian resident in Panguipulli. The test results arrived at Base Valdivia Hospital last week and were publicly confirmed by the Director of the Department of Health, Dr. Patricio Rosas.

Dr. Patricio Rosas said that the analyzes confirmed that it was leprosy, a disease that has become very rare in Chile. He confirmed that the patient was under treatment and that the disease could be effectively cured by multidrug therapy consisting of three antibiotics, which eliminates leprosy over a period of a few months.

The Chilean Minister of Health, Carmen Castillo, reassured the population and indicated that only 3 other cases had been reported at the national level and that the patients were currently under treatment.

Learn more about leprosy :

Leprosy is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium "Mycobacterium leprae" which causes skin and nerve damage. Without treatment, these lesions progress and become permanent and disabling, affecting the skin, the nerves, the limbs and the eyes. Symptoms include clear or red skin lesions, reduced sensitivity and numbness in the hands and feet. The incubation period of the disease is 5 years on average, but the symptoms can sometimes appear only after 20 years.

The treatment advocated by the WHO since 1981 makes it possible to cure the sick and to avoid, if administered early of disabilities. In addition, patients are no longer infectious from the first dose of treatment and their ability to transmit leprosy is therefore interrupted.

HL/ HaitiLibre