Editing Leprosy (section)

=== 20th and 21st century ===
{{see also|Leprosy in India}}

In 1898, the colonial government in [[British Raj|British India]] enacted the Leprosy Act of 1898, which mandated the compulsory segregation of people with leprosy by authorities in newly established leper asylums, where they were segregated by sex to prevent sexual activity. The act, which proved difficult to enforce, was repealed in 1983 by the [[Government of India|Indian government]] after MDT had become widely available in India. In 1983, the National Leprosy Elimination Programme, previously the National Leprosy Control Programme, changed its methods from surveillance to the treatment of people with leprosy. India still accounts for over half of the global disease burden. According to WHO, new cases in India during 2019 diminished to 114,451 patients (57% of the world's total new cases).<ref>{{cite journal |title=Global leprosy (Hansen disease) update, 2019: time to step-up prevention initiatives |journal=Weekly Epidemiological Record |date=4 September 2020 |volume=95 |issue=36 |pages=417–40 |hdl=10665/334140 |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref name="Gussow-2021"/> Until 2019, Indians could justify a petition for divorce with their spouse's diagnosis of leprosy.<ref>{{Cite news|date=13 February 2019|title=Hindu Marriage Act: Parliament passes law removing leprosy as ground for divorce|work=The Economic Times|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/parliament-passes-law-removing-leprosy-as-ground-for-divorce/articleshow/67974143.cms?from=mdr|access-date=14 July 2020|archive-date=15 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715020656/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/parliament-passes-law-removing-leprosy-as-ground-for-divorce/articleshow/67974143.cms?from=mdr|url-status=live}}</ref>

The National Leprosarium at [[Carville, Louisiana]], known in 1955 as the Louisiana Leper Home, was the only leprosy hospital in the mainland United States. Leprosy patients from all over the United States were sent to Carville to be kept in isolation away from the public, as not much about leprosy transmission was known at the time and [[Leprosy stigma|stigma against those with leprosy]] was high. The Carville leprosarium was known for its innovations in reconstructive surgery for those with leprosy. In 1941, 22 patients at Carville underwent trials for a new drug called promin. The results were described as miraculous, and soon after the success of promin came dapsone, a medicine even more effective in the fight against leprosy.<ref>{{cite book| vauthors = Dobson M |title=Disease: The extraordinary stories behind history's deadliest killers|publisher=Quercus Editions Ltd|orig-date=2007|year= 2013|isbn=978-1-4351-5166-6|location=UK|pages=26–27}}</ref> Leprosy incidence peaked in the United States in 1983, followed by a steep decline.<ref name="Bhukhan" /> However, case numbers have been slowly rising again since 2000. In 2020, 159 cases were reported in the country.<ref name="Bhukhan">{{Cite journal |last1=Bhukhan |first1=Aashni |last2=Dunn |first2=Charles |last3=Nathoo |first3=Rajiv |title=Case Report of Leprosy in Central Florida, USA, 2022 |journal= Emerging Infectious Diseases|date=2023 |volume=29 |issue=8 |pages=1698–1700 |doi=10.3201/eid2908.220367 |pmid=37486691 |pmc=10370849 }}</ref>