Two cases of lepra (Hansen’s disease) have been confirmed in Romania, the first in the country in more than 40 years, the Serbian Economist reports, authorities said. The disease was diagnosed in two masseuses at a spa in the northwestern city of Cluj. Both patients are Indonesian nationals aged 21 and 25; two other people are being tested.
Health Minister Alexandru Rogobete said visitors to the spa should not panic because it usually takes prolonged contact to transmit the infection. He said one of the patients had recently returned from Asia, where she had spent about a month with her mother, who was in hospital with the same illness at the time. Authorities have suspended the spa centre’s operations during the epidemiological investigation.
According to the Romanian side, the last confirmed case of leprosy in the country was recorded 44 years ago (i.e. in the early 1980s).
Important clarification: we are talking about “the first cases in Romania in 40+ years”, not “the first in Europe” – the media sometimes like to simplify headlines.
What does this mean for tourists and the health system?
The risk to spa clients, according to the authorities’ assessment, is low: lepra is usually transmitted through prolonged close contact with an untreated patient; casual contact is not considered a typical route of transmission.
The long incubation period makes the “infection did not occur in Romania” scenario likely: symptoms can appear years, sometimes up to 20 years after contact.
Closure of the establishment and testing of contacts is a standard measure for rare imported infections: even if the infectiousness is low, it is important to quickly identify close contacts (including colleagues) and eliminate further transmission.
Information risk (fears/stigma) may be higher than medical risk: leprosy has historically been highly stigmatised, although today it is curable and, with timely treatment, usually does not lead to disability.
What is leprosy(leprosy, Hansen’s disease):
- The causative agent: the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae. The disease more commonly affects the skin and peripheral nerves.
- Transmission: preferably through nasal/mouth drops in close and frequent contact with an untreated person. Not spread through normal household contacts (shaking hands, hugging, eating together, sitting next to each other).
- Incubation period: on average about 5 years, but symptoms may appear much later – up to 20 years.
- Treatment: Lepra is curable with multidrug therapy (MDT); once treatment is started, the patient usually ceases to be a source of infection.