Download or read book IMPACT OF MICRO CREDIT SYSTEM ON QUALITY OF LIFE OF LEPROSY AFFECTED PEOPLE IN MAHARASHTRA written by Dr. Shirish Shegaonkar and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2018-03-05 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease, is a chronic infectious disease that primarily affects the skin, the peripheral nerves, the upper respiratory tract, and the eyes. The causative agent is an acid-fast bacterium, Mycobacterium leprae, first identified in 1873 by the Norwegian physician, Gerhard Henrik Armauer Hansen.Leprosy was considered a divine curse for sin in the Old Testament and Karma in Buddhism. The term leprosy originates from the Latin word lepros, meaning defilement. The fact that leprosy has been deemed an incurable disease, causing severe deformities and disabilities, has resulted in severe stigmatization. This has resulted in double suffering by victims, both from the disease itself and from public discrimination. Although documented since antiquity, leprosy currently remains endemic in some developing parts of the world.