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Disease groups:
At a glance
- No specific vaccine available – read more about prevention
- Nationally notifiable disease
About leprosy
Leprosy (also called Hansen’s disease) is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae.
It doesn’t spread easily and is curable with antibiotics.
Leprosy most often affects the nerves, skin, eyes and lining (mucous membranes) of the nose.
Why it matters to public health
Leprosy affects millions of people worldwide, but it is rare in Australia.
Most people diagnosed in Australia either:
- were infected in countries where leprosy is common
- live in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in northern Australia.
Leprosy can cause muscle weakness and numbness in affected body parts. This loss of feeling makes cuts and other injuries more likely and harder to notice.
Without treatment, it can lead to lifelong serious complications.
Early treatment can:
- cure the infection
- prevent complications
- stop the bacteria spreading to others.
Symptoms
If you’re looking for advice about your own health or treatment options, see healthdirect or speak with a qualified healthcare professional. Our role is to provide public health advice – information and guidance that helps prevent disease, protect communities and improve wellbeing at a population level.
Symptoms progress slowly. They often involve the hands, feet and face, but other body parts can also be affected.
The first symptom is usually skin numbness (loss of feeling).
Other common symptoms include:
- lumps and bumps on the skin
- discoloured skin patches (often lighter than the surrounding skin)
- a stuffy nose or nose bleeds.
People with a strong immune response might only have a few spots that improve over time. This is called paucibacillary (or tuberculoid) leprosy.
People whose immune response is less active can get slowly worsening symptoms. This is called multibacillary (or lepromatous) leprosy.
Unless treated, serious complications can include:
- long-lasting ulcers
- paralysis, especially in the hands and feet
- disfigured limbs or nose
- blindness.
Read more about the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of leprosy.
healthdirect’s symptom checker can help you decide whether to see a health professional.
Onset of symptoms
Symptoms usually appear several years after infection. But this can range from a few months to 30 years.
How it spreads
The exact way leprosy spreads isn’t fully understood.
It is thought to spread through respiratory droplets produced when someone speaks, coughs or sneezes.
If another person breathes in these droplets and their immune system cannot fight off the bacteria, they become infected. But more than 9 in 10 people are naturally immune to the bacteria – meaning they do not get infected, even if exposed.
When infection does occur, it happens after months of frequent, close contact with someone with untreated leprosy.
Infectious period
People with leprosy can be infectious until 3 days after starting effective treatment.
Prevention
Vaccination
The same vaccine that protects people against tuberculosis also provides some protection against leprosy. It might be recommended for children aged under 5 years who have family or household members with leprosy.
Other prevention steps
Prompt treatment for someone with leprosy prevents the infection spreading to others.
See a healthcare professional if you live with someone who has leprosy.
Priority groups and settings
Some people are at greater risk of leprosy, or of getting very sick from it.
It is also more likely to spread within families and in overcrowded homes.
Leprosy disproportionately affects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This is driven by ongoing inequity, including poverty and inadequate housing, barriers to culturally safe healthcare and the way leprosy was managed in the past.
People at greater risk of severe disease
Leprosy might pose a greater risk of severe illness for:
- children
- people who have had untreated leprosy for a long time.
People at greater risk of exposure
People might be at greater risk of leprosy if they:
- are born to parents who have leprosy
- live with someone who has leprosy
- spend long periods of time in a country where leprosy is more common
- are immunocompromised
- live in remote communities in northern Australia.
Diagnosis and treatment
Leprosy is usually diagnosed by testing:
- a skin sample
- a nasal swab.
Sometimes other tests (such as nerve biopsies) are done. This depends on the person’s symptoms.
You can use healthdirect’s directory to find a health service near you.
Leprosy is treated with a combination of antibiotics, usually taken for 1 to 2 years.
Read more about how to manage or treat leprosy.
Surveillance and reporting
Leprosy is a nationally notifiable disease – these are diseases that present a risk to public health.
Health authorities in each state and territory report new cases to us through the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.
This is part of surveillance to monitor case numbers and understand disease patterns.
Use our data visualisation tool to search the latest data.
Outbreaks
The response to leprosy cases and outbreaks in Australia focuses on early treatment to:
- prevent further infections
- stop complications.
State or territory health departments might respond to a case or outbreak by:
- ensuring appropriate treatment for people with leprosy
- identifying contacts for clinical assessment and testing
- offering antibiotics to contacts to prevent infection, if appropriate
- providing advice and education
- working with local health services, including Aboriginal Medical Services.
Support
For information about leprosy in your state or territory, see:
- Australian Capital Territory
- New South Wales
- Northern Territory
- Queensland
- South Australia
- Tasmania
- Victoria
- Western Australia.
If you need mental health support, see a list of organisations, websites and services that offer support, counselling and information.
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