National Hansen's Disease Program
The National Hansen's Disease Program have been providing care and treatment for Hansen's disease (leprosy) and related conditions since 1921. Currently, the National Hansen's Disease (Leprosy) Clinical Center is located at Ochsner Medical Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is "the only facility in the United States devoted to diagnosis, treatment, and research concerning Hansen's disease."
The Clinical Center states that it offers:
Free consultations for physicians treating complicated cases of Hansen's disease, including referrals for reconstructive hand or foot surgery.Free pathologic review of skin biopsy and consultation concerning molecular techniques for identification of M. leprae.
Free antibiotics for leprosy treatment shipped to physicians.
Free educational materials for healthcare professionals and patients to improve understanding of the disease, and to prevent injury and disability.
The National Hansen's Disease (Leprosy) Research Program at the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine in Baton Rouge is a research center that "conducts and supports research in the causes, diagnosis, prevention and cure of Hansen's disease and tuberculosis — aimed at the global elimination of Hansen's disease (leprosy)." The research program maintains the world's only M. leprae-infected armadillo colony. Twenty-three people work at the Research Program.
The program provides health care to those affected by the disease through three means of service delivery: at HRSA-run facilities in Louisiana; via a payment to a Hawaii in-patient program; or at any of 11 regional outpatient clinics under contract to the agency.
The programs also support scientific research and training for health professionals at the world’s largest and most comprehensive laboratory dedicated to Hansen’s Disease.
The programs are the only dedicated source of expertise, treatment and continuing education on the disease in the United States.
Though Hansen's disease is very rare in the United States(there are currently only 6500 cases) there is still a widely held stigma because of the history of the disease. With current treatment methods patients become noninfectious after only a few doses of medication. Patients may continue their lives without change during treatment.
This Program has led the development of the treatments for Hansen's Disease. It wasn't until the 1940s that any effective means of treating this Disease were created. "Guy Henry Faget, MD and his staff demonstrate the efficacy of sulfone drugs, At the end of one year, 15 of 22 patients had improved."
Read more about this topic: Bureau Of Primary Health Care
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