[Leprosy and vulnerability: a scoping review]. / Hanseníase e vulnerabilidade: uma revisão de escopo.

The objective of this work was to review published scientific works on leprosy as a public health problem in Brazil, and the marker of vulnerability for people with the disease. A scoping review was carried out with the descriptor 'leprosy AND vulnerability', on the Virtual Health Library (BVS) database. A total of 29 articles published between January 2016 and December 2020 that met the inclusion criteria were selected. The results pointed to scientific papers published in indexed journals and with different impact factors, with emphasis on the fact that most of the selected publications appear in journals with impact metrics that are not very significant in the eyes of the international community, even though they have national impact. The majority of the studies had municipal coverage, with emphasis on cities in the North and Northeast of Brazil. The works addressed vulnerability in leprosy using different typologies.

O estudo teve como objetivo a revisão de trabalhos científicos publicados sobre a hanseníase como problema de saúde pública no Brasil e o marcador de vulnerabilidade para os portadores da enfermidade. Foi realizada uma scoping review com o descritor "hanseníase AND vulnerabilidade" na base de dados da Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS). Foram selecionados 29 artigos publicados entre janeiro de 2016 e dezembro de 2020 que atenderam aos critérios de inclusão. Os resultados apontaram para trabalhos científicos publicados em revistas indexadas e com diferentes fatores de impacto, com destaque para a maioria das publicações selecionadas constarem em periódicos com métricas de impacto pouco significativas aos olhos da comunidade internacional, ainda que elas tenham impacto nacional. A maioria dos estudos teve abrangência municipal, com destaque para cidades do Norte e do Nordeste brasileiro. Os trabalhos trataram a vulnerabilidade na hanseníase utilizando distintas tipologias.

Identifying clusters of leprosy patients in India: A comparison of methods.

BACKGROUND: Preventive interventions with post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) are needed in leprosy high-endemic areas to interrupt the transmission of Mycobacterium leprae. Program managers intend to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to target preventive interventions considering efficient use of public health resources. Statistical GIS analyses are commonly used to identify clusters of disease without accounting for the local context. Therefore, we propose a contextualized spatial approach that includes expert consultation to identify clusters and compare it with a standard statistical approach. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We included all leprosy patients registered from 2014 to 2020 at the Health Centers in Fatehpur and Chandauli districts, Uttar Pradesh State, India (n = 3,855). Our contextualized spatial approach included expert consultation determining criteria and definition for the identification of clusters using Density Based Spatial Clustering Algorithm with Noise, followed by creating cluster maps considering natural boundaries and the local context. We compared this approach with the commonly used Anselin Local Moran's I statistic to identify high-risk villages. In the contextualized approach, 374 clusters were identified in Chandauli and 512 in Fatehpur. In total, 75% and 57% of all cases were captured by the identified clusters in Chandauli and Fatehpur, respectively. If 100 individuals per case were targeted for PEP, 33% and 11% of the total cluster population would receive PEP, respectively. In the statistical approach, more clusters in Chandauli and fewer clusters in Fatehpur (508 and 193) and lower proportions of cases in clusters (66% and 43%) were identified, and lower proportions of population targeted for PEP was calculated compared to the contextualized approach (11% and 11%). CONCLUSION: A contextualized spatial approach could identify clusters in high-endemic districts more precisely than a standard statistical approach. Therefore, it can be a useful alternative to detect preventive intervention targets in high-endemic areas.

Pathogen genomics study of an early medieval community in Germany reveals extensive co-infections.

BACKGROUND: The pathogen landscape in the Early European Middle Ages remains largely unexplored. Here, we perform a systematic pathogen screening of the rural community Lauchheim "Mittelhofen," in present-day Germany, dated to the Merovingian period, between fifth and eighth century CE. Skeletal remains of individuals were subjected to an ancient DNA metagenomic analysis. Genomes of the detected pathogens were reconstructed and analyzed phylogenetically. RESULTS: Over 30% of the individuals exhibit molecular signs of infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV), parvovirus B19, variola virus (VARV), and Mycobacterium leprae. Seven double and one triple infection were detected. We reconstructed four HBV genomes and one genome each of B19, VARV, and M. leprae. All HBV genomes are of genotype D4 which is rare in Europe today. The VARV strain exhibits a unique pattern of gene loss indicating that viruses with different gene compositions were circulating in the Early Middle Ages. The M. leprae strain clustered in branch 3 together with the oldest to-date genome from the UK. CONCLUSIONS: The high burden of infectious disease, together with osteological markers of physiological stress, reflect a poor health status of the community. This could have been an indirect result of the climate decline in Europe at the time, caused by the Late Antique Little Ice Age (LALIA). Our findings suggest that LALIA may have created an ecological context in which persistent outbreaks set the stage for major epidemics of severe diseases such as leprosy and smallpox hundreds of years later.

Fundación Neumológica Colombiana 30 años de una institución con espíritu / Fundación Neumológica Colombiana 30 years of an institution with spirit

Hablar de la Neumología moderna en Colombia y de la Fundación Neumológica Colombiana es hablar de Darío Maldonado Gómez. Nacido en Pamplona, Norte de Santander, llegó a Bogotá siendo un adolescente, cuando sus padres se vieron obligados a salir de su ciudad natal hacia la capital, con todos sus hijos, producto de la violencia encendida a finales de la década de los 40´s. Con el ejemplo de su padre, Darío Maldonado Romero, médico que se especializó en la lepra y consagró sus esfuerzos al desarrollo de políticas de salud pública. Así, con la ambición de aprender y apropiar la ciencia, el arte y el humanismo que sustentan la medicina, ingresó a la Universidad Nacional en Bogotá y obtuvo su título de médico en 1959. Su ánimo de aprender y de poder ofrecer siempre las mejores opciones a sus pacientes, lo llevaron pronto a Chicago y Milwaukee, Estados Unidos, donde, en la década de los 60´s, se entrenó en Medicina Interna y Neumología con el profesor Gordon Snider, pionero y figura de la Neumología moderna en el mundo.

Talking about modern Pulmonology in Colombia and the Colombian Pulmonary Foundation is talking about Darío Maldonado Gómez. Born in Pamplona, Norte de Santander, he came to Bogotá as a teenager, when his parents were forced to leave their hometown for the capital, with all their children, as a result of the violence inflamed at the end of the 1940s. With the example of his father, Darío Maldonado Romero, a doctor who specialized in leprosy and devoted his efforts to the development of public health policies. Thus, with the ambition of learning and appropriating the science, art and humanism that sustain medicine, he entered the National University in Bogotá and obtained his medical degree in 1959. His desire to learn and to always be able to offer the best options to his patients, they soon took him to Chicago and Milwaukee, United States, where, in the 1960s, he trained in Internal Medicine and Pulmonology with Professor Gordon Snider, pioneer and figure of modern Pulmonology in the world.

Perfil clínico-epidemiológico de pacientes diagnosticados com hanseníase / Clinical-epidemiological profile of patients diagnosed with leprosy / Perfil clínico-epidemiológico de los pacientes diagnosticados de lepra

hanseníase no Brasil ainda apresenta como um problema de saúde pública. A posição epidemiológica da doença no país é considerada diversificada devido ao alto coeficiente e variação de prevalência nas diversas regiões do país. O objetivo desse estudo é conhecer o perfil epidemiológico da população acometida pela hanseníase na cidade de General Carneiro, no interior do Mato Grosso, durante os anos de 2006 e 2021. A coleta de dados foi realizada nos meses de julho e agosto do ano de 2021. Trata-se de uma pesquisa retrospectiva, documental do tipo descritiva, com abordagem quantitativa. No período em estudo notificou-se 50 casos, sendo 62% do sexo masculino, com faixa etária entre 48 a 69 anos de idade, de cor branca, com predominância da forma dimorfa. Os resultados demonstram que a cidade de General Carneiro, está com o número de casos de hanseníase na média do preconizado pela Organização Mundial de Saúde e também, inferior à média brasileira.

Leprosy in Brazil still presents as a public health problem. The epidemiological position of the disease in the country is considered diversified due to the high coefficient and variation in prevalence in different regions of the country. The aim of this study is to know the epidemiological profile of the population affected by leprosy in the city of General Carneiro, in the interior of Mato Grosso, during the years 2006 and 2021. Data collection was carried out in July and August of 2021 This is a retrospective, descriptive documentary research with a quantitative approach. During the study period, 50 cases were reported, 62% male, aged between 48 and 69 years old, white, with a predominance of the borderline form. The results show that the city of General Carneiro has the number of cases of leprosy in the average recommended by the World Health Organization and also below the Brazilian average.

La lepra en Brasil sigue siendo un problema de salud pública. La posición epidemiológica de la enfermedad en el país se considera diversificada debido al alto coeficiente y a la variación de la prevalencia en diferentes regiones del país. El objetivo de este estudio es conocer el perfil epidemiológico de la población afectada por la lepra en la ciudad de General Carneiro, en el interior de Mato Grosso, durante los años 2006 y 2021. La recogida de datos se realizó en julio y agosto del año 2021. Se trata de una investigación retrospectiva, documental y descriptiva, con un enfoque cuantitativo. En el período de estudio se notificaron 50 casos, siendo el 62% de sexo masculino, con una edad entre 48 y 69 años, de color blanco, con predominio de la forma dimorfa. Los resultados muestran que la ciudad de General Carneiro, está con el número de casos de lepra en la media recomendada por la Organización Mundial de la Salud y también por debajo de la media brasileña.

Paracoccidioidomycosis: Current Status and Future Trends.

Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM), initially reported in 1908 in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, by Adolpho Lutz, is primarily a systemic and neglected tropical mycosis that may affect individuals with certain risk factors around Latin America, especially Brazil. Paracoccidioides brasiliensis sensu stricto, a classical thermodimorphic fungus associated with PCM, was long considered to represent a monotypic taxon. However, advances in molecular taxonomy revealed several cryptic species, including Paracoccidioides americana, P. restrepiensis, P. venezuelensis, and P. lutzii, that show a preference for skin and mucous membranes, lymph nodes, and respiratory organs but can also affect many other organs. The classical diagnosis of PCM benefits from direct microscopy culture-based, biochemical, and immunological assays in a general microbiology laboratory practice providing a generic identification of the agents. However, molecular assays should be employed to identify Paracoccidioides isolates to the species level, data that would be complemented by epidemiological investigations. From a clinical perspective, all probable and confirmed cases should be treated. The choice of treatment and its duration must be considered, along with the affected organs, process severity, history of previous treatment failure, possibility of administering oral medication, associated diseases, pregnancy, and patient compliance with the proposed treatment regimen. Nevertheless, even after appropriate treatment, there may be relapses, which generally occur 5 years after the apparent cure following treatment, and also, the mycosis may be confused with other diseases. This review provides a comprehensive and critical overview of the immunopathology, laboratory diagnosis, clinical aspects, and current treatment of PCM, highlighting current issues in the identification, treatment, and patient follow-up in light of recent Paracoccidioides species taxonomic developments.

Vozes, olhares e sentidos da Participação Social no SUS / Voices, looks and senses of Social Participation in the SUS

Olhando para a trajetória histórica compreende-se melhor a relação entre "Democracia e Saúde" estabelecida para 16ª Conferência Nacional de Saúde realizada em 2019, pois a luta pelo direito à saúde e a implementação do SUS está vinculada a busca pela redemocratização e a ampliação dos direitos sociais no Brasil. As instâncias do controle social se consolidaram no decorrer das três décadas de sua existência, os movimentos sociais, bem como, as mais diversas organizações da sociedade civil, ocuparam estes espaços e buscaram transformá-los numa arena democrática de defesa da sua concepção de saúde, de política pública, de Estado, de desenvolvimento e de direitos humanos.

Local tips, global impact: community-driven measures as avenues of promoting inclusion in the control of neglected tropical diseases: a case study in Kenya.

BACKGROUND: Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) affect poor populations with little or no 'political voice' to influence control activities. While most NTDs have interventions that work, the biggest challenge remains in delivering targeted interventions to affected populations residing in areas experiencing weak health systems. Despite the upward development trends in most countries of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the healthcare worker to population ratio remains exceptionally low, with some areas not served at all; thus, there is a need to involve other personnel for school and community-based healthcare approaches. Nonetheless, the current community-based programs suffer from inconsistent community participation due to a lack of coordinated response, and an expanded intervention agenda that lacks context-specific solutions applicable to rural, urban, and marginalized areas. METHODS: This research investigated the capacity of local communities to address the burden of NTDs. Informed by the social theory of human capability, the research collected primary qualitative data by conducting key informant interviews and focus group discussions of people infected or affected by NTDs. The interview data were collected and transcribed verbatim for thematic analysis using Nvivo version 12. RESULTS: Our findings reveal, first, a need for intersectoral collaboration between governments and affected populations for inclusive and sustainable NTD solutions. Second, a 'bottom-up' approach that enhances capacity building, sensitization, and behaviour change for improved uptake of NTD interventions. Third, the enforcement of Public Health Legislative Acts that mandates the reporting and treatment of NTDs such as leprosy. Fourth, the establishment of support groups and counseling services to assist persons suffering from debilitating and permanent effects of NTDs. CONCLUSIONS: Our research demonstrates the importance of human agency in encouraging new forms of participation leading to the co-production of inclusive and sustainable solutions against NTDs.

Suspicious symptom monitoring for leprosy: an optimal practice for early detection under a low endemic situation in Zhejiang Province, China.

BACKGROUND: Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease that causes disabilities and deformities. Early detection is a major strategy for leprosy control. This study reported a new practice of suspicious symptom monitoring for early detection of leprosy. METHODS: A descriptive and comparative analysis between a non-strategy group of pre-implementation of suspicious symptom monitoring in 2005-2011 and a strategy group of strategy implementation in 2012-2018 was conducted through indicators of the number of times of misdiagnoses, delayed period, proportion of early detected cases, and proportion of disabilities. RESULT: Compared with the non-strategy group in 2005-2011, the median number of times of misdiagnoses was decreased from two times to zero times (z = 4.387, P < 0.001), and the median delayed period of newly detected cases were shortened from 24 months to 13 months (z = 2.381, P < 0.001), the proportion of early detected cases was increased from 43.7% to 75.2% (χ2 = 29.464, P < 0.001), the proportion of grade 2 disabilities was decreased from 28.6% in the highest year of 2005 to 4.0% in the lowest year of 2014, and the average proportion of disabilities was decreased from 33.5% to 17.6% (χ2 = 9.421, P = 0.002) in the strategy group in 2012-2018, respectively. CONCLUSION: Suspicious symptom monitoring promoted early detection of cases by reducing the number of times misdiagnosis of leprosy patients, shortening the delayed period, increasing the proportion of early detection, and decreasing the proportion of disabilities. It is an important and recommendable public health strategy for leprosy prevention and control in a low epidemic condition.

History of leprosy in India: An overview of historic and modern contributions.

Traditionally, India holds the unenviable position of the origin of leprosy. The disease is thought to have spread, via trade and war, to China, Egypt, and the Middle East, and later to Europe and the Americas. From antiquity to modernity, Indian society treated leprosy singularly for custom and law, a response shaped by both scientific knowledge and cultural attitudes. Over the past centuries, tireless research by eminent physicians and scientists working in India have helped establish a better understanding of clinical, bacteriologic, pathologic, and immunologic aspects of leprosy. Therapeutic modalities that were initially restricted to chaulmoogra expanded to include newer anti-leprotic medications and even surgical reconstruction of deformities. India's future challenges in leprosy control include stigmata, educational knowledge gaps, and multiple systems of medicine. This contribution is an attempt to comprehensively discuss the historic aspect of this exclusive disease focusing on the varied scientific contributions from India.

National Health Survey reveals high percentage of signs and symptoms of leprosy in Brazil. / Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde revela alto percentual de sinais e sintomas de hanseníase no Brasil.

Leprosy is a debilitating, infectious, systemic or localized dermato-neurological disease caused by Mycobacterium lepra. In Brazil, the magnitude and high disabling power keep the disease as a public health problem. Skin spotting and numbness are pathognomonic signs and symptoms in leprosy. The Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) 2019 National Health Survey (PNS-2019) considered the following question as a proxy to estimate its magnitude in the country. "Do you have a spot with numbness or part of the skin with numbness?". In Brazil, 1,921,289 adults reported having a patch or part of the skin with numbness, with no regional differences. As for the age group, the older, the higher the prevalence, for example, between 18 to 29 years old (235,445) and 30 to 39 years old (236,485), 0.7% had the condition, between 40 to 59 years old (827,887), 1.5% and among the elderly, 1.8% (621,472). Being able to estimate, in population-based surveys, with statistical representativeness, a reported morbidity such as leprosy is essential to support the formulation of public policies, notably those related to primary health care actions. In this way, the IBGE fulfills its constitutional role of portraying the reality of the Brazilian population and today it is the main external evaluator of the Unified Health System (SUS) and of public policies developed by the federal level.

A hanseníase é uma doença dermato-neurológica, infecciosa, sistêmica ou localizada, debilitante, causada por Mycobacterium leprae. No Brasil, a magnitude e o alto poder incapacitante mantêm a doença como um problema de saúde pública. Mancha na pele e dormência são sinais e sintomas patognomônicos na hanseníase. A Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde de 2019 (PNS-2019), do Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE), considerou a seguinte pergunta como proxy para estimar sua magnitude no país. "O(a) sr(a). tem mancha com dormência ou parte da pele com dormência?". No Brasil, 1.921.289 adultos referiram ter mancha ou parte da pele com dormência, sem diferenças regionais. Com relação ao grupo etário, quanto mais velho, maior a prevalência. Por exemplo, entre os de 18 a 29 anos (235.445) e de 30 a 39 anos (236.485), 0,7% possuía a condição, entre 40 e 59 anos (827.887), 1,5%, e entre os idosos, 1,8% (621.472). Poder estimar, em pesquisas de base populacional, com representatividade estatística, uma morbidade referida tal como a hanseníase é fundamental para apoiar a formulação de políticas públicas, notadamente as relativas às ações da atenção primária à saúde. Dessa forma, o IBGE cumpre seu papel constitucional de retratar a realidade da população brasileira e hoje é o principal avaliador externo do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) e das políticas públicas instituídas no âmbito federal.

16ª Conferência Nacional de Saúde: arte e democracia em defesa do SUS / 16th National Health Conference: art and democracy in defense of SUS

O trabalho de produção deste Rádio-Livro foi desenvolvido pela leitura e cuidadosa adaptação cultural nas linguagens das diferentes expressões da arte popular sobre a 16° Conferência Nacional de Saúde, que definiu diretrizes muito importantes para o SUS e para os governos, também sobre a vida e a democracia, nos fazendo lembrar da origem do SUS e da 8ª Conferência Nacional de Saúde. O Rádio-Livro é acessado com o pensamento, com o coração e com a vontade de fazer o mundo melhor para todas as pessoas viverem e para que a saúde das pessoas e coletividades se expressem de forma mais plena. Esse material destina-se às Rádios Comunitárias e à população em geral e tem fins exclusivamente educacionais, sendo proibida a compra e a venda em qualquer circunstância.

2ª Conferência Nacional de Saúde das Mulheres: Saúde e Democracia / 2nd National Conference on Women's Health: Health and Democracy

O trabalho de produção deste Rádio-Livro foi desenvolvido pela leitura e cuidadosa adaptação cultural nas linguagens das diferentes expressões da arte popular sobre a 2ª Conferência Nacional de Saúde das Mulheres, conversando sobre direitos e a responsabilidade do Estado, sobre a produção da saúde e sobre as diferentes inserções que todas as mulheres têm com a saúde e que precisam ser respeitadas e atendidas com integralidade em todas as suas dimensões. O Rádio-Livro é acessado com o pensamento, com o coração e com a vontade de fazer o mundo melhor para todas as pessoas viverem e para que a saúde das pessoas e coletividades se expressem de forma mais plena. Esse material destina-se às Rádios Comunitárias e à população em geral e tem fins exclusivamente educacionais, sendo proibida a compra e a venda em qualquer circunstância.

Genomics of Ancient Pathogens: First Advances and Prospects.

Paleogenomics is one of the urgent and promising areas of interdisciplinary research in the today's world science. New genomic methods of ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis, such as next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies, make it possible not only to obtain detailed genetic information about historical and prehistoric human populations, but also to study individual microbial and viral pathogens and microbiomes from different ancient and historical objects. Studies of aDNA of pathogens by reconstructing their genomes have so far yielded complete sequences of the ancient pathogens that played significant role in the history of the world: Yersinia pestis (plague), Variola virus (smallpox), Vibrio cholerae (cholera), HBV (hepatitis B virus), as well as the equally important endemic human infectious agents: Mycobacterium tuberculosis (tuberculosis), Mycobacterium leprae (leprosy), and Treponema pallidum (syphilis). Genomic data from these pathogens complemented the information previously obtained by paleopathologists and allowed not only to identify pathogens from the past pandemics, but also to recognize the pathogen lineages that are now extinct, to refine chronology of the pathogen appearance in human populations, and to reconstruct evolutionary history of the pathogens that are still relevant to public health today. In this review, we describe state-of-the-art genomic research of the origins and evolution of many ancient pathogens and viruses and examine mechanisms of the emergence and spread of the ancient infections in the mankind history.

16ª Conferência Nacional de Saúde: Relatório Final / 16th National Health Conference: Final Report

A 16ª Conferência Nacional de Saúde (8ª+8), conhecida pela marca da 8ª+8, em referência à relevância da 8ª Conferência Nacional de Saúde, realizada em 1986 e que deu origem às bases políticas e operacionais que permitiram a criação do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS), percorreu um longo processo até a etapa nacional, realizada no período de 4 a 7 de agosto de 2019, em Brasília. A Comissão de Organização, instituiu amplo debate com conselheiros profissionais de saúde, gestores e prestadores, usuários, movimentos sociais e sindicais, que elaborou um documento orientador, o qual foi disponibilizado aos municípios e estados, para subsidiar os debates locais. Além dessa atribuição, acreditamos que seria necessário organizar um documento que permitisse o registro da 16ª Conferência para a memória da história da saúde no Brasil. A estruturação do presente relatório procurou dar conta dessa condição e foi feita de forma que se materialize a singularidade de cada momento e ações ofertadas e experienciadas por cada um(a) e, no seu todo, que representasse a relevância para a história do nosso sistema de saúde e para o contexto em que vivemos.

Quando a conferência de saúde ensina para o trabalho e para a vida: narrativas dos estudantes sobre a 16ª Conferência Nacional de Saúde / When the health conference teaches for work and for life: student narratives about the 16th National Health Conference

Em um contexto de retrocessos políticos, sociais, sanitários e civilizatórios, deparamo-nos com a 16ª Conferência Nacional de Saúde, carinhosamente apelidada de 8ª + 8, para tornar visível o encontro com a conferência-marco da reforma sanitária brasileira. Durante a conferência foi realizada a pesquisa "Saúde e democracia: estudos integrados sobre participação social na 16ª Conferência Nacional de Saúde", cujo objetivo foi analisar a participação social no processo da 16ª Conferência Nacional de Saúde em dimensões que permitissem sistematizar evidências da relevância e da abrangência do processo participativo nas etapas e atividades que a compuseram. A partir das experiências vivenciadas pelos estudantes pesquisadores, afetivamente reconhecidos como "verdinhos e verdinhas", em alusão à camiseta de cor verde que os identificava entre os participantes da 16ª CNS, elaborou-se a chamada de manuscritos que culminou neste livro. Encontram-se aqui reunidos aproximadamente 30 narrativas, somadas a alguns manuscritos feitos sob demanda dos organizadores. Agradecemos a cada uma das pessoas que ofereceu sua narrativa, a cada esforço necessário para compor uma estética capaz de dizer do lugar de aprendizagem que cada um e cada uma das pessoas que estiveram conosco nesse grande laboratório de democracia e cidadania que foi a 16ª Conferência Nacional de Saúde. E a cada leitor e leitora que, sensivelmente, compreender que cada um dos textos é um convite para a defesa do SUS, do ensino da saúde pautado pelo compromisso ético com todas as saúdes dos territórios e com o SUS como política pública.

Life and death of a leprosy sufferer from the 8th-century-CE cemetery of Kiskundorozsma-Kettoshatár I (Duna-Tisza Interfluve, Hungary)-Biological and social consequences of having Hansen's disease in a late Avar Age population from Hungary.

The aim of our paper is to demonstrate a middle-aged male (KK61) from the 8th-century-CE cemetery of Kiskundorozsma-Kettoshatár I (Duna-Tisza Interfluve, Hungary), who appears to represent the lepromatous form of Hansen's disease. Leprosy has affected not only the rhinomaxillary region of his face but also his lower limbs, with severe deformation and disfigurement of the involved anatomical areas (saddle-nose and flat-foot deformity, respectively). Consequently, he would have experienced disability in performing the basic activities of daily living, such as eating, drinking, standing or walking; and thus, he would have required regular and substantial care from others to survive. Despite his very visible disease and associated debility, it seems that KK61 was accepted as a member of the community in death, since he has been buried within the cemetery boundaries, among others from his community. In addition, his grave has conformed to the mortuary practices characteristic of the Kiskundorozsma-Kettoshatár I cemetery (e.g., burial orientation, position of the body in the grave, and type and quantity of accompanying grave goods). Although distinction or segregation in life do not preclude normative treatment in death, the long-lasting survival of KK61 with Hansen's disease implies that he would not have been abandoned but cared for by others. KK61 is one of the few published historic cases with leprosy from the Avar Age of the Hungarian Duna-Tisza Interfluve. His case gives us a unique insight into the biological consequences of living with Hansen's disease and illustrates the social attitude toward leprosy sufferers in early mediaeval Hungary.