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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Leprosy BacteriaEXOTIC circumtropical, now rare COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent (c.1875), Eradicated, Potential Invasive; S.Group and N.Group, now extirpated; Land SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Disease causing; Disease causing - serious

Cook Islands Distribution

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Southern Group: XQe    Makatea: XQe
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
XQe	XQe	XQe	XQe	XQe	XQe	XQe	-	-

Northern Group: XQe
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
XQe	XQe	XQe	XQe	XQe	-

Myobacteria leprae
TAXONOMY: MONERA; EUBACTERIA; GRACILICUTES; SCOTOPHOBIA; bacterial family

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Disease causing
NEGATIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Disease causing - serious. Comments: Starts as a skin disease eventually causing disfiguring lessions, periperal nerve damage and progressive debilitation. It is contracted by airborne bacteria, but they quickly exit the lungs and travel to the skin and nerves. Most people are naturally immune. Effectlively treated at an early stage with MDT (Multi-drug Therapy). The disease is now almost internationally eradicated, last case in the Cook Islands was reported in 1996 [Dr Roland Farrugia, CI Herald, 9/6/2001, p.24]

GENERAL NOTE: Introduced to Hawai‘i in 1830s, probably with the Chinese workers. Became known as Mai Pake (Chinese sickness). After 1866 lepers were confined to isolated Kalaupapa peninsular on Molokai island. The famous Father Damien de Veuster arrived in 1873 when the population was about 1000. He remained until his death from leprosy in 1889. Over the years, a total of around 8,000 were on Molokai. Resident Agent of Manihiki in 1915 reported that leprosy came around 1875 with a Manihikian returning from Hawaii, and the RA believed the disease had been on Penrhyn before Manihiki. However Pomare (1906, in Lambert 1926) reported that the first Penrhyn islander with leprosy returned to Penrhyn in 1885, having previously lived with an Hawaiian leper in Samoa. By 1915 the death due to leprosy were: Penrhyn 34, Manihiki 8, and Rakahanga 8. And the lepers in teh country were: Penrhyn 11, Manihiki 5 (+2-3 possible), Rakahanga 5 (+4-5 possible), Palmerston 3 (+1 possible), and Aitutaki 4. (Northcroft achive 3/11/1915). Most islands had islolated areas where they confined lepers. From 1926 lepers were sent to the colony in Fiji. Drugs for the effective treatment of leprosy appeared in the 1940s. In a newspaper report of June 2001 it was reported that the last new case was 1996 (CI Herald 9 June 2001).

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
None recorded.

Data Update History (information):
zB02

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