The Modern-Day Leper
Many lepers in India are also widowed or orphaned…
Leprosy appears surprisingly often in scripture, but it’s hardly a disease locked in ancient history. An estimated 200,000 new cases of this sickness, also known as Hansen’s disease, are reported each year. The countries with the highest number of cases are Brazil, Indonesia, and India.
As in Jesus’s day, leprosy often comes with a host of social stigmas that are born out of misunderstandings about the disease. People often don’t realize that 95% of individuals will never contract leprosy because their immune system will destroy the bacteria before it gains a foothold. Because of this, leprosy is not very contagious. Casual contact such as talking to someone with the disease, sitting next to them, or shaking hands with them will not spread the illness. It’s relatively easy to treat as well; a year or two of a special antibiotic cocktail will cure almost any variant of Hansen’s disease, especially if it’s caught early.
Sadly, communities without this information often become deeply suspicious and fearful of anyone who falls ill with this disease.
One of the toughest places to be a leper is India, where almost 60% of new cases are reported yearly. In January 2023, the Leprosy Must Bharat campaign was launched, promising Indians that their homeland would be free from the disease by 2027. Medical workers are skeptical that this is feasible, given the lack of development on a vaccine, absence of information about it in rural communities, and stigma of it as a ‘disease of the poor.’
Ritul Choudhary, a dermatologist at RML hospital in Delhi, sees dozens of new leprosy patients in his weekly clinic. “A lot of people won’t even know they have leprosy for a long time,” he told a newspaper. “They will come in at a very, very late stage.”
Those newly diagnosed are often fired from jobs, refused entry to schools or apartments, pushed out of their fearful communities, and forced to live in one of India’s 800 active leper colonies. India still has almost 100 state and national laws discriminating against anyone with leprosy, limiting their access to food markets, public transportation, and even elections.
It should hardly come as any surprise that many individuals are abandoned by spouses or parents if they’re diagnosed. If their spouse is also a leper or they’re a child born in a leper colony, they have an exponentially higher chance of losing their loved ones early.
As India’s government slowly turns to deal with this national issue, World Challenge’s teams and partner churches are forging forward to reach those precious individuals who are in the leper colonies. Teams serve meals and hold Bible studies for anyone who is interested. They pray with and for people in the colony. Those who don’t know Jesus hear about his love. Those who are already believers are deeply encouraged by this tangible evidence of Christ’s care.
While the cure for leprosy may still be a ways off for them, these people have a chance to know that Jesus sees them and cares for their hearts and lives.