Doctor Adrian Marinescu, the manager of the “Matei Balș” Infectious Diseases Hospital in the Capital, said on Friday, December 12, that the general population is not exposed to a real risk of contracting leprosy, after the confirmation of the second case of the disease in Cluj.
“Certainly we will not panic. And here we should explain that leprosy is not eradicated. We need to know that, globally, there are endemic areas in Asia, in Africa, in Latin America, where there are cases of leprosy, the leprosy known as Hansen’s disease.” he told Digi24.
Adrian Marinescu emphasized that the situation in Romania concerns import cases and that the eventual confirmation of some people who came into direct contact with the two women does not represent a major danger.
“It is very important to say that the risk to the general population is small anyway. In general, there is natural immunity in a large part of the population,” he explained.
In this context, the health authorities are carrying out an epidemiological investigation in Cluj, which exclusively targets people considered to be direct contacts.
“The risk of getting sick is extremely small, but surely there must be monitoring, and what is being done now in Cluj is an epidemiological investigation, which refers exactly to these people”he also said.
The doctor Adrian Marinescu also explained that there are no reasons for concern for the clients of the massage parlor where a case of leprosy was confirmed, stressing that the risk of infection is very low.
He recommends caution only for people who have had direct contact with the patient, who could go for a medical check-up, but without panic.
Regarding trips to areas where leprosy is endemic, Marinescu stated that a simple vacation does not involve a risk, because transmission requires close and prolonged contact with the infected person.
The doctor also mentioned that the treatment almost completely reduces the risk of transmission: if the sick person follows the treatment correctly, the chances of infecting someone else are practically zero.
Two cases confirmed in Cluj
After the first case of leprosy was confirmed in Cluj on Thursday, the laboratory analyzes established the diagnosis for the sister of the first patient on Friday.
On Friday, December 12, laboratory tests confirmed the second case of leprosy (Hansen’s disease) in Cluj. It is about the sister of the woman already diagnosed on Thursday, who got infected, like her, after traveling to their native country in September and coming into contact with their mother, who was already ill.
The Minister of Health, Alexandru Rogobete, who personally went to Cluj to see what the situation is, stated that the initially confirmed patient is no longer contagious, and the risk for the general population remains low. Both sisters benefit from specific treatment recommended by the WHO, which considerably reduces the risk of transmission.
