Leprosy was once perceived by people as a terrible disease. Today she is successfully treated by doctors. On the territory of Russia there are 3 specialized institutions where patients are monitored. Depending on the severity of the course, certain types of drugs are prescribed. In any case, significant progress has been made in recent years in terms of disease control.
Leprosarium - what is it and why is it created?
Leprosarium - an institution where there are patients with leprosy. They are fully provided by the state. Due to the presence of combined treatment, their condition rarely becomes neglected. Such therapy gives an excellent effect.
Medical workers often say that there are practically no people left with active leprosy. For this reason, they no longer have to exist in conditions of absolute isolation. Often they are allowed to go home to be allowed to see their relatives. Increasingly, there is information about the death of the sick from old age, and not manifestations of leprosy.
A whole separate colony where the sick live isleprosarium. What can such an institution give people? First of all, this is a feeling of freedom and the absence of a squeamish attitude from others. They often marry, have children and generally live like ordinary people. In addition to the hospital itself, the territory often contains a variety of facilities that support the life of local residents. They try to enjoy simple little things, work in the fields, breed animals.
Perhaps in the next decade the last leper colony will disappear from the face of the Earth. What is leprosy, people, with a high probability, will no longer know. At least around the world, there is a trend towards a gradual reduction in the number of hospitals of this type. This is due to the decrease in morbidity. But at the same time, in India, for example, there are still a lot of cases of infection with Hansen's wand. It is believed that the reason for this is the poor sanitary conditions in the country.
How can you get infected?
Many have heard the song of the group "Crematorium" "Leprosarium" about people with this terrible disease. Only close and prolonged contact can lead to infection. But even when faced with a pathogen, the role of which is played by mycobacterium leprosy, you can stay he althy. It all depends on the individual organism. Most people have innate immunity. Only 20% of the world's population is susceptible.
Today, as in the last century, lepers are placed in the leper colony. The causative agent is transmitted by airborne droplets, as well as through the patient's personal belongings. Mainly it's clothes. It is noteworthy that only chimpanzees and armadillos are sick among animals. But this requires artificial infection.
Symptoms
Diagnosis of the disease is very difficult because the incubation period can be very long. Sometimes it is only 6 months, but more often it reaches several years. There are cases when leprosy did not make itself felt for 40 years!
If Hansen's wand is activated, so-called harbingers appear. They are the following symptoms:
- pain in the head and joints;
- weakness and fatigue;
- temperature increase;
- polyneuritis.
Followed by skin manifestations. On their basis, doctors usually make a diagnosis. They are expressed in the formation of nodules, as well as areas with dark or discolored spots.
Shapes
There are several forms of the disease:
- Lepromatous. A person complains of loss of sensation in certain areas of the body. Spots with a clear border are visible on the surface of the skin. After that, there is inflammation of the nerves, insomnia, pain. A characteristic feature is the deformity of the limbs. Also sick with this form can be distinguished by the so-called lion's face. Eyebrow hairs fall out, and the fold between them thickens.
- Tuberculoid. It is considered the least contagious form. In addition, it is considered more benign. On the skin, you can notice scaly areas that have lostsensitivity. As in the previous case, there are neuritis. It is impossible to predict the outcome.
- Juvenile. Occurs in children. The disease is characterized by good he alth. Patients only complain about a large number of hard-to-see spots on the skin.
- Indefinite form, the most favorable. Polyneuritis is combined with a small number of spots on the surface of the skin. After a few months, all manifestations disappear by themselves, and the patient recovers.
The creepiest places on the planet
The most famous in Russia are institutions for monitoring patients with leprosy, located in Astrakhan and the Caucasus. It is interesting that often an island is chosen to host colonies. The leper colony was built on the territory of one of them in Korea. Another place - Spinalonga - is very popular with tourists. In general, there is an unusual connection between the isolation of natural objects and their terrible history.
It would seem that the treatment and rehabilitation of people - that's what the leper colony was created for. What can such a place tell terrible? It turns out that not everything is so harmless. As for the island of Forty, according to rumors, among its inhabitants there are no longer patients with leprosy. However, they are still not allowed to come to the mainland. The fact is that despite the absence of a pathogen in the body, the appearance of people reflects the traces of its activity. Thus, in the 21st century, absolutely he althy Koreans with certain physical deformities are forced to live in an isolated place.
Spinalonga is another island with a leper colony. In fact, little is left of it. People who were found to have leprosy went here with their whole families. They were settled in small houses and supplied with food. They did not have to rely on medical assistance. Marriage was not allowed, but this prohibition was not respected. If two patients gave birth to a he althy child, he was taken away and sent to the mainland. After the invention of the vaccine, the inhabitants of the island were completely cured and left its borders.
