Some 500,000 leprosy patients in China have been cured, says the country's health authority. (Photo : Daily Record UK)
China's health authority revealed that about half a million leprosy patients have been cured in the country.
During the World Leprosy Day on Jan. 25, the National Health and Family Planning Commission of the People's Republic of China (NHFPC) proudly made the announcement, noting that the country has already reached a new record-breaking low in the level of the epidemic.
According to studies, leprosy, which is also known as Hansen's disease, is a chronic and contagious disease that affects a person's skin, peripheral nerves, and the mucosa of the upper respiratory tract as well as their eyes.
Caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis, the disease gives the initial symptoms of inflammation in the nerves, the respiratory tract, skin and the eyes.
Further progress of the disease leaves the patient weak and numb, with some even losing their extremities due to their inability to feel pain because of several injuries.
In China, the epidemic has been reported in the southwest which includes the provinces of Sichuan, Guangdong, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi and others.
As of last year, a total of 885 new cases of leprosy have been reported in 23 provinces in the country, particularly in 484 counties and municipalities.
This shows a 4.3-percent decline from the reported number of cases in 2013 and a drop in the rate of prevalence from the 278 recorded in 2010 to 216 in 2014.
In 1954, the world began observing the "World Leprosy Day," which is celebrated every Jan. 26 or the nearest Sunday every year in order to raise awareness to those infected with leprosy and cure the social stigma it has caused.
