In the last few days, five leprosy cases have been registered in the Yucatan Peninsula, the Health Secretariat reported.
MERIDA Yucatán (Times Media Mexico) – The National System of Epidemiological Surveillance (Sinave) of the Federal Health Secretariat (SSA) reported that Quintana Roo and Yucatan report five leprosy cases.
According to Sinave’s data, the first case in Quintana Roo occurred in June and the second during the first week of September.
All of the patients are men, the report details, who have undergone treatment in public hospitals.
The SSA reported that it is monitoring the emergence of new cases, as there is a possibility that more people have had contact with the infected.
Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae, an acid-fast bacillus with a curved shape. It mainly affects the skin, the peripheral nerves, the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract, and the eyes.
Leprosy is a curable disease, and it takes six to 12 months for an infected person to heal. If treated in the early stages, its progression and disability can be avoided.