No Risk of Leprosy Spread in Bulgaria Following Cases in Croatia and Romania, Say Health Authorities

Following recent leprosy cases in Croatia and Romania, Bulgaria’s Ministry of Health has assured the public that there is currently no risk of the infection spreading within the country. Medical experts emphasise that modern antibiotics are fully effective against the disease.

In Croatia, leprosy was confirmed in a worker from Nepal who arrived in Split with his family two years ago.

Assoc. Prof. Mirela Pavicic-Ivelja, Head of the Infectious Diseases Clinic at Split University Clinical Centre, said:
"The disease is chronic, not highly contagious, and does not pose a risk to the general population. Today, it is treatable – with several months of antibiotic therapy, and very soon after starting treatment, the patient is no longer infectious to others."

Irena Hrstic, Croatia’s Minister of Health, added:
"Consultations are currently underway regarding regulations for health documentation required of foreign workers. These are being updated to ensure every worker has a personal health record and proof of vaccination status."

Bulgaria has previously recorded imported cases of leprosy, according to specialists at Sofia’s Infectious Diseases Hospital.

Assoc. Prof. Trifon Valkov, Head of Clinic at Infectious Diseases Hospital “Prof. Ivan Kirov”, explained:
"I cannot recall whether it was 2016 or 2017, but we had an African patient diagnosed with the skin form of leprosy – the so-called tuberculoid form. The patient was successfully treated."

Doctors continue to study the precise modes of leprosy transmission.

Assoc. Prof. Trifon Valkov added:
"What we do know for certain is that the risk of an epidemic is practically non-existent. For human-to-human transmission to occur, extremely close and prolonged contact is required."

It is also believed that the tuberculosis vaccine offers protection against leprosy. According to the Ministry of Health, the last cases reported in Bulgaria were in 1993.