Leper colony stigma
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There has, historically, been fear around leprosy and people with the disease have suffered stigma, isolation and social exclusion. Expulsion of individuals infected with leprosy to quarantined areas or special institutions has been the general protocol since ancient times and was the recommended course of action by the Leprosy Conference of Berlin 1897. As a result, the exclusion and quarantining of people infected with leprosy became law, hence leprosy colonies were formed. The inhabitants of these colonies had very little legal recourse in preventing their exclusion and, even after they were treated and cured, many had trouble reintegrating into society.[1] Even by the 1960s, when leprosy was highly treatable and curable, it still resulted in repulsion, and the exclusion of sufferers, by the general populace.[1] As leprosy became curable, the focus of study shifted towards investigating the social aspects of the disease. This has become relevant due to the fact that the disease is making a resurgence and is proving resistant to previous remedies.