I bet you didnt know that

Knex. wrote: »

There are only two species in the world that can get leprosy. Humans and armadillos, and the latter it is believed only because they contracted it from the former.

But armadillos may yet get their own back from the grave, as in Brazil their meat is somewhat popular. Research found that over 60% of armadillo meat showed signs of exposure to the bacterium that causes leprosy, also known as Hansen’s Disease.

The study found that people who eat armadillo meat more frequently show higher concentrations of leprosy antibodies in their blood, hinting at a strong correlation between hunting, handling, and eating these animals and contracting the disease.

Something to consider the next time the leprosy support group have their regular poker game. Although, no one will be throwing in their hand, and nobody else will laugh their heads off.

Contrary to popular perception, leprosy doesn't cause fingers or toes or anything else to drop off. The slow growing bacteria that causes it resides in and attacks the nerves and the subsequent damage and consequent neuropathy means that serious injury can occur without the patient being alerted by pain, or infection can spread and by the time it's detected it's too late to save a digit - or worse.

The bacteria also resides in nasal mucosa, attacking the cartilage and causing dreadful facial deformities. Damage to to occular nerves can leave a sufferer unable to close their eyes and extremely vulnerable to vision destroying infection.

Another misconception is that it's highly contagious but it's quite difficult to get and besides, more than 90% of the population is immune. The subcontinent of India accounts for about 70% of new cases annually. Perhaps surprisingly, there are about 150 to 200 new cases reported yearly in the US. Armadillo aficionados, perhaps.

Ideally it would be detected early and treated with a combination of antibiotics before major damage or disfigurement, but the stigma surrounding Hansens disease and the vulnerable profile of it's most likely demographic means that it's often the case that life changing damage has been done before it's treated. Which is a shame, because the treatment is very effective and no one should be disfigured from leprosy in this day and age.

The square mile City of London has city status. The rest of the sprawl is the Greater London Area, which is a city in the commonly understood way but not designated as such.


I think!

I forgot about Westminister.

And I'm from London!