What does the bible say about leprosy?
Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease that is caused by bacteria that mainly affect the peripheral nerves, skin and mucous membranes of the respiratory tract. It can cause various skin lesions and nerve damage. The diagnosis is clinical and confirmed by biopsy. The treatment is usually with dapsone and other antibiotics. Patients quickly become non-infectious after starting treatment.
Leprosy is one of the oldest diseases in human history, and the Bible mentions it and the discrimination against lepers. Despite the biblical reminder, lepers are still stigmatized and violated human rights in many parts of the world today. Leprosy is not highly contagious (contrary to popular belief), rarely fatal and can be treated effectively with antibiotics, but it still causes significant social discrimination. The psychological impact of leprosy is very serious. The Bible describes leprosy as a punishment from God for sin, and lepers were often ostracized and forced to live outside the city. The concept of leprosy in the Bible is not only a physical disease but also a spiritual one. Leprosy was seen as a clear sign of sin and moral impurity, and the isolation that it required was meant to protect the community from contamination.
However, the Bible also shows God’s compassion and healing power for lepers. In the Old Testament, there are stories of lepers who were healed by God’s intervention, such as Naaman (2 Kings 5) and four lepers who found food in an enemy camp (2 Kings 7). In the New Testament, Jesus healed many lepers with his touch and word, such as the ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19) and a man with leprosy who begged him for help (Mark 1:40-45). Jesus also sent his disciples to heal lepers as part of their mission (Matthew 10:8).
Therefore, the Bible teaches us to have compassion and care for lepers, as they are our brothers and sisters who suffer from a disease that can be cured. The Bible also teaches us to repent of our sins and seek God’s forgiveness and healing, as leprosy is a symbol of our spiritual condition.
Leprosy is often feared as a highly infectious, devastating condition — and the subject of biblical stories depicting it as a curse from God — but we now know it can be cured. However, stigma around the disease persists.
“Those suffering from it are isolated and discriminated against in many places where the disease is seen,” the CDC notes.
The World Health Organization says more than 200,000 new cases are reported every year in more than 120 countries, with the largest numbers in Brazil, India and Indonesia. In the United States, about 150 people get infected annually, according to the CDC.
What causes leprosy?
Leprosy is usually spread through prolonged close contact with an untreated infected person. Casual contact does not lead to infection — you can’t catch leprosy from shaking hands, hugging or sitting next to someone during a meal or on the bus, the CDC states.
“It is not known exactly how Hansen’s disease spreads between people. Scientists currently think it may happen when a person with Hansen’s disease coughs or sneezes, and a healthy person breathes in the droplets containing the bacteria,” the organization’s website reads. “Prolonged, close contact with someone with untreated leprosy over many months is needed to catch the disease.”
Fortunately, about 90% of people “tend to be naturally immune,” Dr. Aileen Marty, an infectious diseases specialist at Florida International University, told CBS Miami. “It’s only about 10% of people who can get leprosy, and it’s a whole spectrum of how the disease may manifest,” she said.
She also said there are several reasons cases appear to be on the rise.
“The problem here in the United States is partly people with leprosy coming here from other places,” Marty said. She also pointed to the role of the armadillos.
“The problem is the armadillos that acquired leprosy many, may years ago back when we had a leprosy colony in Carville, Louisiana, and those armadillos have slowly moved — well, they’ve spread all over Texas and Louisiana, and then they’ve come over to Central Florida, so we’re seeing cases there as well.”
Leprosy symptoms
It takes time to develop signs of the disease due to the slow-growing nature of the bacteria. The CDC says symptoms of leprosy to the skin include:
Skin patches that are discolored
Skin growths Skin that is thick, stiff or dry
Ulcers on the soles of feet that are painless
Swelling or lumps on the face or earlobes that are painless
Loss of eyebrows or eyelashes
Symptoms to the nerves include: Numbness of affected areas of the skin
Muscle weakness or paralysis
Nerves that are enlarged
Eye problems that may lead to blindness
If left untreated, advcanced signs may develop, including:
Paralysis and crippling of hands and feet
Shortening of toes and fingers due to reabsorption
Ulcers on the bottoms of the feet
Blindness
Nose disfigurement
How can leprosy be cured? Hansen’s disease can be cured with a combination of usually two to three antibiotics.
“Treatment usually lasts between one to two years,” the CDC says. “The illness can be cured if treatment is completed as prescribed.”
Early diagnosis is also important, since treatment can cure the disease and prevent it from getting worse, but treatment does not reverse nerve damage that may have already occurred, the organization notes.
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