Socio - Cultural Beliefs and Stigma Including Health Seeking Behaviour towards Leprosy - A Review

Leprosy (Hansen's Disease) is a chronic infectious disease, caused by M. leprae. The word leper comes from a Greek word meaning scaly. It affects mainly the peripheral nerves and affects the skin, muscles, the eyes, the nose, bones, testes and internal organs. In some countries, a significant number of cases do not seek treatment or seek treatment late, partly due to socio-cultural beliefs and stigma about leprosy. The priority areas in the leprosy elimination programme are early case detection, case holding and consequently, the prevention of disabilities. So there is a nation-wide mass education is needed to educate people. This may include social assistance and social support to the patients, help to the needy individuals and families. Such information would help determine the areas of emphasis in an education programme to make people seek early diagnosis and undergo the prolonged treatment for cure.