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Leprosy Needs Prolonged Contact And Has Long Incubation
- Leprosy spreads through respiratory droplets and requires prolonged close contact plus susceptible immune response.
- Incubation ranges 1–20 years (average ~5 years), making exposure source and diagnosis very difficult.
Disease Form Depends On Host Immunity Not Strain
- Clinical forms (tuberculoid, lepromatous, borderline) depend on host immune response, not bacterial strain.
- About 95% of humans are naturally resistant, so only ~5% become symptomatic after exposure.
Historical Rituals Declared Lepers Dead To Society
- Historically people with skin conditions were publicly shamed: cloaks, bells, forced grave rituals, dissolved marriages, and exile to lazar houses.
- Priests often diagnosed leprosy, so many non-leprosy skin diseases were misclassified and punished.