Health and Medicine
PUBLISHED
The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially verified Chile as having eliminated leprosy, making it the first country in the Americas to do so and only the second worldwide.
The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.“This landmark public health achievement is a powerful testament to what leadership, science, and solidarity can accomplish,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, in a statement. “Chile’s elimination of leprosy sends a clear message to the world: with sustained commitment, inclusive health services, integrated public health strategies, early detection and universal access to care, we can consign ancient diseases to history.”
Leprosy, or Hansen’s disease, is a chronic infectious disease caused by the slow-growing bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Slow-growing isn’t an understatement – it can take up to 20 years for symptoms to first appear.
When signs of the disease do crop up, they typically affect: the skin, which can develop discolored patches, thickness, or dryness; the nerves, causing damage that leads to numbness of the skin and muscle weakness; and the lining of the nose, which can cause stuffiness and nosebleeds. If left untreated, the disease can develop into a more advanced stage that can cause paralysis of the hands and feet, disfigurement of the nose, and even blindness.
There are more than 200,000 new cases of leprosy diagnosed across the globe every year, and it continues to persist in over 120 countries. Jordan, and now Chile, are the only countries to have eliminated the disease.
The last reported locally acquired case of leprosy in Chile was in 1993, but continuing to keep the disease on its public health agenda, with consistent monitoring, surveillance, and clinical readiness, has gone a long way to ensuring that the last case stayed the last case.
“This milestone reflects decades of sustained public health efforts, including prevention strategies, early diagnosis, effective treatment, continuous follow-up, and the commitment of health teams across the country,” said Ximena Aguilera, Chile’s Minister of Health.
A widespread myth about leprosy is that it both spreads easily and is incurable – research has proven both incorrect. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), someone has to have repeated close contact with an untreated infected person over a long period of time in order to catch the disease. If the leprosy is caught, it can be successfully cured with a one to two-year regimen of a combination of antibiotics.
Unfortunately, myths about leprosy are particularly deep-rooted, and together with its capacity to cause disability and disfigurement if left untreated, this makes it a disease that can come with a significant amount of social stigma – something that is well known to be a barrier to eliminating it.
In Chile, specific training for healthcare professionals and legislation have both been introduced to promote social inclusion for people with leprosy, and ensure that they receive care without stigma.
Successfully eliminating the disease “reaffirms our responsibility to maintain active surveillance and ensure respectful, stigma-free care for all,” said Aguilera.
