Why we should stop using the word leprosy - 27/03/20

Leprosy is endemic in more than 100 countries worldwide, with over 200 000 new diagnoses each year and more than 4 million people living with some form of impairment related to leprosy. The term leprosy, as used in the Bible, designated a multitude of diseases with skin manifestations. Biblical leprosy carried huge stigma and was considered synonymous with impurity and divine punishment. Global actions to eliminate leprosy have been implemented but have yet to succeed, with stigmatisation and discrimination against people affected by the disease being recognised as two of the biggest obstacles. In Brazil, leprosy was officially renamed hanseníase (Hansen’s disease) in 1975, and the Brazilian experience of renaming leprosy during the past four decades has given clear signs of the benefit of this measure in fighting stigma and discrimination. More recent actions by WHO and many years of advocacy by patient organisations have followed, but concrete and effective measures to dignify language and terminology need to be implemented as soon as possible.