Human Ecology of Leprosy; Medical Geographical analysis

Abstract

Leprosy is one of a skin diseases that caused by a slow multiplying bacillus, Mycobacterium leprae. It can be transmitted by droplets, from the nose and mouth and it has been highly damage to the skin, the peripheral nerves, mucosa of the upper respiratory tract, and also the eyes. It can be epidemic with affect from the untreated cases of people. This research investigates what are the main human ecological factors that affect to distribute leprosy in village areas. The research approach based on the diseases ecological approach. Primary data collecting method was personal interview and secondary data collected form health institutional reports. Factor analysis and descriptive analysis method has used as a data analysis method. Matara district was the third place among the leprosy level of district in Sri Lanka, it 12% from all patients in 2014. The outcome of the research was that unawareness is the main factors that affect to distribute leprosy among the village people. Patient identification is most difficult course of the prevalence of leprosy because of village people has cultural myths behind the leprosy inflection. The most significant issue that was identified during the course of the study is that the people put out of sight this disease from the society within long period, due to that reason it can be distributed rapidly through the human host.