Treatment options Several antibiotics are effective against leprosy. Known as MDT, this drug combination has cured over 10 million people to date. Many cases can be cured in six months to three years. MDT usually makes a patient noncontagious within only a few days. Surgery, amputation, transplants, or cosmetic surgery may be needed to help patients regain self-esteem.
Social rehabilitation is also essential.
In 1998 a new drug was added to the arsenal, although the drug itself was not new. Thalidomide, never approved in the U.S. and the cause of birth defects when used in other countries in the past, was approved as a treatment for certain effects of leprosy that had resisted other medications. But stringent controls were issued to make certain that no one who is or is likely to become pregnant would have access to the drug. Stages and progress When leprosy attacks the skin , it destroys nerve endings, sweat glands, hair follicles, and pigment-producing cells. It also attacks peripheral nerves , so the ability to feel light touches and hot or cold goes first.