Leprosy perceptions and knowledge in endemic districts in India and Indonesia: Differences and commonalities

Authors: Anna Tiny van’t Noordende, Suchitra Lisam, Panca Ruthindartri, Atif Sadiq,
Vivek Singh, Miftahol Arifin, Willem Herman van Brakel, Ida J. Korfage

Source: PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

Published: January 21, 2021 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0009031

Summary

This study aimed to examine the differences and commonalities in and determinants of knowledge and perception of leprosy in endemic districts in India and Indonesia. Interestingly, even though the questions related to knowledge that were answered correctly most and least frequently were the same in both countries in the present study, the local beliefs, especially considering the cause and mode of transmission, varied by area of residence. Local beliefs included the belief that leprosy is in the family for seven generations, that a cause of leprosy is that a woman conceives while having sexual intercourse during her period (Indonesia), that leprosy has a supernatural cause and that persons affected by leprosy are untouchable (India).