What is LEPROSY?

“Leprosy, or Hansen’s disease a chronic infectious disease that usually affects the skin and peripheral nerves. Contrary to popular belief, leprosy cannot be contracted merely by touching someone who has the disease, and it is not usually fatal.

Although prolonged, direct, skin-to-skin contact has long been medically accepted as the mode of transmission, many researchers now believe leprosy may be transmitted through inhalation of bacilli released from discharges from an infected individual’s nose or mouth.

Today, leprosy is confined mostly to tropical and subtropical regions, with residual areas of low incidence in cooler regions. The disease is prevalent in Africa, Asia (especially India)… The World Health Organisation estimates that throughout the world 11 million people have leprosy.

Leprosy is caused by the rod-shaped bacterium or bacillus, Mycobacterium leprae… The lesions of leprosy occur mainly in the cooler tissues of the body, that is, the skin, the mucous membranes of the nose and throat, and the superficial nerves. In untreated cases, the infiltration of the skin and the destruction of the nerves may cause extreme disfigurement and deformity… The organism multiplies rapidly in the skin, producing nodules called leproma, and sometimes scaly patches on the skin. Later the skin becomes thickened and folded, especially on the face, where it gives the person a leonine, or lion-like appearance.

The sulfone drugs have replaced chaulmoogra oil, which for centuries was the treatment for leprosy. The sulfones work slowly, and they are not considered to be a specific cure, but the disease can be arrested in most cases. Leprosy is generally regarded as a very old disease. It is referred to in the Old Testament, but today most biblical scholars agree that leprosy then designated a range of skin diseases that marked a person as “unclean”.”

Collier’s Encyclopedia 1990

New Life Center

BirGitta Edstroem and Swante Bengtsson arrive at New Life Centre and greet all their leprosy-friends before dedicating another two family house. So far MMP has built 11 such houses.

New Life Center was founded by Bishop Ernest Komanapalli together with Manna Ministries.

MMP supporters are today responsible for around 50 leprosy patients.