Is Leprosy Contagious?

Transmission of Leprosy from Person to Person

Leprosy is considered an infectious disease that is contagious between people under rare circumstances. Generally, the disease can be transmitted under rare circumstances such as immunocompromised people, or during surgery with contaminated surgical tools, or according to "rare circumstances" as noted from reputable internet sources.
Leprosy, although infectious, is not a genetic disease. It is not caused by a defective or abnormal gene.

Contagiousness properties for Leprosy:

  Contagious by droplet?: Yes

Contagion summary:

Although the mode of transmission of Hansen's disease remains uncertain, most investigators think that M. leprae is usually spread from person to person in respiratory droplets. (Source: excerpt from Hansen's Disease (Leprosy): DBMD)

About contagion and contagiousness:

Contagion and contagiousness refers to how easily the spread of Leprosy is possible from one person to another. Other words for contagion include "infection", "infectiousness", "transmission" or "transmissability". Contagiousness has nothing to do with genetics or inheriting diseases from parents. For an overview of contagion, see Introduction to Contagion.

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