by Sophie

Created on: April 05, 2007   Last Updated: April 19, 2007

Leprosy is very well known as one of the world's oldest diseases. For example, Indian Sanskrit made mention of leprosy over 2,500 years ago. India has been battling to try and combat this debilitating disease. According to official records that have been released, India has successfully "eliminated leprosy". However, India still accounts for more than half of the world's cases of leprosy, which shows that there is still a lot to be done before leprosy can be considered "eliminated".

The BBC's Medical correspondent Fergus Walsh travelled to southern India to investigate this statement, that obviously did not fit the reality behind leprosy in India. According to Mr Walsh, leprosy is a hard disease to catch. But many people are fortunate because they have a natural immunity to the germ that causes leprosy. Once a leprosy sufferer begins to receive treatment, they cannot pass on the disease to someone else. Leprosy has been curable for decades. However, according to Mr Walsh, sufferers still face a great deal of stigma and discrimination, that is not so easy to combat.

Leprosy causes nerve damage and creates what has been referred to as "anaesthetic skin". If a leprosy sufferer is unable to detect heat, cold or pain, they then run the risk of causing damage to their limbs. A person who suffers from repeated injuries can easily end up losing their fingers and toes. That is the reason why people who have leprosy need to be treated during the early stages of the disease, otherwise they may suffer from permanent limb damage. Leprosy sufferers will usually receive a multi-drug treatment along with antibiotics for between six to 12 months. This will then cure a person of leprosy. But many sufferers are still left with physical disabilities.

Mahammadi is a woman who has been cured of leprosy, but the disease has damaged her immune system. She was also left with infected lesions all over her arms. She was prescribed the drug thalidomide. This drug was widely reported to cause birth defects when taken by pregnant women. However, thalidomide is now being used as a specialist treatment to cure leprosy. Mahammadi's doctor advised her against getting pregnant during her treatment. Mahammadi's parents expressed the hope that leprosy would not scar their daughter for life or prevent her from finding a husband, which seemed to be a dear wish to them.

Once a person is cured of leprosy, many people still reported that they faced rejection from their society. That is the reason why

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