The country’s health authorities reported that the five patients affected with leprosy in the province of Chiriquí respond satisfactorily to the treatment provided by the Ministry of Health (Minsa) and the Social Security Fund (CSS).
The cases in the province of Chiriquí were geographically located: two in Gualaca, one in Bugaba, one in Barú and one in David, and are managed on an outpatient basis and under strict follow-up.
Leprosy is a disease that registers an annual average between two to five cases and is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae, better known as Hansen’s Bacillus; It causes skin ulcers, nerve damage, and muscle weakness that gets progressively worse if left untreated.
The regional medical director of the Minsa, Gladys Novoa, highlighted the importance of the investigation and epidemiological surveillance of each case, to discover or rule out in a timely manner that their contacts have contracted the disease.
Most people who come into contact with the bacteria do not develop the disease, which is acquired through close and prolonged contact with sick people.
While the symptoms on the skin may go unnoticed in the patient, they also present symptoms in the peripheral nervous system, detected through loss of sensitivity, muscle atrophy, which is verified by a smear test.
