Review of Medical Practice

Dear Readers,
On January 26, 2025, the 72nd World Leprosy Day was observed on the last Sunday of January, an initiative coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO). Leprosy (Hansen’s disease), one of the oldest known infectious diseases in human history, was first documented in medical literature around 600 BCE. This bacterial etiology disorder remains endemic in tropical and subtropical regions, where socioeconomic factors, such as limited healthcare access and poor hygiene, facilitate pathogen transmission.
Hansen’s disease (HD), named after Norwegian physician Gerhard Henrik Armauer Hansen, who identified and described the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae (M. leprae) in 1873, is also caused by the related species Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Both pathogens belong to the group of slow-growing acid-fast bacilli, characterized by tropism for Schwann cells and macrophages, leading to peripheral nerve damage, dermatological lesions, and immunological complications.
This issue of the quarterly features the Report on the Global Status of Leprosy (Hansen’s Disease) – 2023 Update: Eliminating Leprosy is Achievable. Time to Act!, developed in collaboration with WHO experts. Additionally, we publish articles by Prof. Wacław Leszek Nahorski, MD, PhD, National Consultant in Maritime and Tropical Medicine, and Prof. Józef Knap, MD, PhD, Regional Consultant in the same field for Mazovia. These articles reference recent studies on resistance to Multidrug Therapy (MDT), recommended by WHO since 1981, which has significantly reduced global incidence.
A highlight of this edition is a concise article by Dr. Helena Pyz, who has directed the leprosy treatment and rehabilitation center in Jeevodaya (India) since February 14, 1989. Despite her modesty, her work – documented in journals such as Leprosy Review – includes the rehabilitation of thousands of patients, including children, through early pharmacological and surgical interventions to minimize irreversible neural damage.
India, the world’s most populous nation (approx. 1.5 billion in 2024), remains the epicenter of Hansen’s disease. According to the WHO 2023 report, 85,276 new cases were registered (60% of global incidence), though estimates from independent organizations (e.g. International Federation of Anti-Leprosy Associations) suggest the actual number exceeds 120,000. Despite preventive programs (e.g. National Leprosy Eradication Programme), endemic transmission persists in 9 states, primarily due to diagnostic delays and social stigmatization.
The Jeevodaya Center, founded in 1969 by Polish Pallottine priest and physician Dr. Adam Wiśniewski (1913–1987), remains a critical hub in combating leprosy. Dr. Pyz’s work, honored with the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (2005) and the Order of the Smile (2008), exemplifies the synergy of clinical medicine and humanitarian action. However, sustained financial support is crucial, particularly given challenges posed by COVID-19, which restricted healthcare access in rural regions.
With best wishes for interesting reading.
Editor-in-Chief
Anna Wilmowska-Pietruszyńska, MD, PhD, Prof. UŁa