Leprosy, a disease that was eradicated in Portugal, reappeared in cases imported from Brazil. Registered between March and April, the cases deserved a statement from the General Directorate of Health, equivalent to the Ministry of Health in the European country, on Thursday (20/04).

The Portuguese press reported that one of the cases is of a Brazilian woman who went to live in the Madeira Archipelago in January of this year. The second case is of a Portuguese resident in Porto who contracted the infection on a trip to Brazil in the last month.

In a press release, the DGS stated that the country registers up to six cases per year, but that the disease continues to be considered eradicated because there is no community transmission.

What is the disease?

Leprosy is an infectious and contagious bacterial disease, but it has a slow evolution and is treatable. According to the Ministry of Health, Brazil is the second country in the world with the highest number of leprosy cases. In 2022, there was a 57.4% increase in the number of registered cases, with 18,000 new patients.

The disease bacteria can be incubated in the body for up to 20 years before symptoms appear. Contagion requires prolonged contact between people.

The main symptom of leprosy is the appearance of spots of different colors on different parts of the body, which are usually associated with a loss of sensitivity to touch and pain, in addition to having a different temperature.

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