"Around 1100 and 1200 A.D. the epidemic reached its peak due much in part to the overcrowding in Europe"(Shinnick 203). The people who were infected with the disease were considered unclean and were often left out of normal community activities. In some extreme cases, the infected were placed outside the town's walls and left out to live on their own. However, the disease began to gradually decline from Europe as living conditions and nutrition improved there. "In the country Norway the disease stuck around until the 1800's when people began to see the number of occurrences drastically decline"(Shinnick 203). .
Presently, the disease leprosy affects many people worldwide and is endemic in tropical and subtropical regions like Africa, India, Southeast Asia, and Central America. In southern Europe small pockets of the disease can be found easily, but the instances are easily contained these days with help of medicine. In 1999, the world incidence of Hansen's disease that was diagnosed was estimated to be 640,000 and in 2000, 738,284 cases were identified. It was also noted by the CDC that "out of the 738,284 cases worldwide in 2000, only 91 of the cases were from the United States" (CDC 1).
The eliologic agent that causes Hansen's disease is a bacillus, called Mycobacterium leprae. This is a bacterium that multiplies very slowly and targets mostly skin, nerves, and mucous membranes but can affect other things. "Mycobacterium leprae is classified under the order Actinomycetalis and the family Mycobracteriacae"(Infolep 1). Most of these organisms are inhabitants of the soil with the exception of two of the major pathogenic ones: Mycobacterium leprae and Mycbacterium tuberculosis, how ironic!.
If one were to look at M. leprae under a microscope, one should expect to see strait or slightly curved shaped bacteria with parallel sides and rounded ends. This particular bacillus is the only species of its kind that targets and infects peripheral nerves ultimately resulting in sensory loss or in some cases, motoric dysfunction of certain muscles.
