Yes, leprosy is absolutely one hundred percent contagious. Well, not quite 100, but perhaps closer to 5%. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), approximately 95% of the world’s population has a natural immunity to Mycobacterium leprae, the bacteria the causes leprosy. While this seriously minimizes the risks of developing it, it still leaves millions of people susceptible to the microbe.
Leprosy is also called Hansen’s disease, after the doctor who first saw the germ. Experts believe leprosy is spread through droplets that spray from a cough or a sneeze by an infected person, although further study is needed to completely understand the way Hansen’s disease spreads. It is not wildly contagious in the way that the common cold seems to be, although this likely has something to do with the widespread immunity.
Treatment involves taking a combination of antibiotics at once, a convention called “multidrug therapy” (MDT). Within a couple of weeks, someone infected with leprosy ceases to be contagious. However, it can take decades for the first signs of Hansen’s disease to present, because of the extremely long incubation period of the bacteria. This means a lot of years when leprosy can be spread around without anyone realizing it. If you suspect you have leprosy, talk to your doctor immediately to reduce spreading the bacteria around as efficiently as possible.
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