Are political Elites of the world sick with Leprosy?

dervishsam

The Force is Strong With This One
I recently saw a video on russian channel Stalingrad, where virologist Igor Gundarov claims that some of the political leaders infected with leprosy, (Hillary Clinton, Putin, Merkel, and Yushchenko previous Ukrainian president. He claims the first one was Yushchenko, and through him disease was passed on. I think it would be a good question to ask C's.

(video is in russian)
 
I haven't watched the above video, but just in case you weren't aware, I think the C's have already answered health related questions for Merkel and Hillary, and leprosy was not mentioned.

From a quick search i could only find the mention of Hillary:

(Pierre) Talking about reanimated people, I wanted to ask about the Hillary Clinton episode where she did that weird thing in front of the reporters.

(L) Was she having a mini-stroke of some sort?

(Pierre) What happened? What was the cause?

A: Brain glitch.

Q: (L) Cause?

A: Brain damage. Lying takes its toll.

As for Putin, considering his age, the challenges he faces, as well as his 'off-duty' pursuits (like hiking in the Taiga), i doubt the leprosy theory has any merit.

Overall, whilst i'm no medical expert, the claim doesn't ring true to me.

Here is wikipedia's summary of leprosy - what's notable is that the majority of people who contract it do not develop the disease aspects, it's also curable, and surely these world leaders have access to the necessary medication:

Leprosy


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae or Mycobacterium lepromatosis.[4][8] Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes.[4] This nerve damage may result in a lack of ability to feel pain, which can lead to the loss of parts of a person's extremities from repeated injuries or infection due to unnoticed wounds.[3] An infected person may also experience muscle weakness and poor eyesight.[3] Leprosy symptoms may begin within one year, but for some people symptoms may take 20 years or more to occur.[4]

Leprosy is spread between people, although extensive contact is necessary.[3][9] About 95% of people who contract M. leprae do not develop the disease.[10] Spread is thought to occur through a cough or contact with fluid from the nose of a person infected by leprosy.[9][10] Genetic factors and immune function play a role in how easily a person catches the disease.[10][11] Leprosy does not spread during pregnancy to the unborn children or through sexual contact.[9] Leprosy occurs more commonly among people living in poverty.[3] The two main types of disease – paucibacillary and multibacillary – differ in the number of bacteria present.[3] A person with paucibacillary disease has five or fewer poorly pigmented numb skin patches while a person with multibacillary disease has more than five skin patches.[3] The diagnosis is confirmed by finding acid-fast bacilli in a biopsy of the skin.[3]

Leprosy is curable with multidrug therapy.[4] Treatment of paucibacillary leprosy is with the medications dapsone, rifampicin, and clofazimine for six months.[10] Treatment for multibacillary leprosy uses the same medications for 12 months.[10] A number of other antibiotics may also be used.[3] These treatments are provided free of charge by the World Health Organization.[4] People with leprosy can live with their families and go to school and work.[12] In 2018, there were 209,000 leprosy cases globally, down from 5.2 million in the 1980s.[7][13][14] The number of new cases in 2016 was 216,000.[4] Most new cases occur in 14 countries, with India accounting for more than half.[3][4] In the 20 years from 1994 to 2014, 16 million people worldwide were cured of leprosy.[4] About 200 cases per year are reported in the United States.[15]

Leprosy has affected humanity for thousands of years.[3] The disease takes its name from the Greek word λέπρᾱ (léprā), from λεπῐ́ς (lepís; "scale"), while the term "Hansen's disease" is named after the Norwegian physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen.[3] Leprosy has historically been associated with social stigma, which continues to be a barrier to self-reporting and early treatment.[4] Separating people affected by leprosy by placing them in leper colonies still occurs in some areas of India,[16] China,[17] Africa.[18] and Thailand.[19] Most colonies have closed, as leprosy is not very contagious.[18] Some consider the word "leper" offensive, preferring the phrase "person affected with leprosy".[20] Leprosy is classified as a neglected tropical disease.[21] World Leprosy Day was started in 1954 to draw awareness to those affected by leprosy.[22]
 
Too bad that the video is in Russian. Can you told us a little bit more? (If you can, just the big idea.) On what bases they say the have leprosy? Thank you!
 
Too bad that the video is in Russian. Can you told us a little bit more? (If you can, just the big idea.) On what bases they say the have leprosy? Thank you!
Virgologist Igor Gundarov claims that first infected was Yushcenko, then he describes symptoms of leprosy, showing pictures of Putin and Yushcenko claiming that their faces have been deformed somewhat and also changes in shape of the ears. He also shows that Putin had recent back pain problem which according to him is a symptom of Leprosy in conjunction with deformities. In the past it was claimed that Yushcenko was poisoned however virologist in video tries to debunk that claim by trying to prove that he actually has leprosy.
 
I haven't watched the above video, but just in case you weren't aware, I think the C's have already answered health related questions for Merkel and Hillary, and leprosy was not mentioned.

From a quick search i could only find the mention of Hillary:



As for Putin, considering his age, the challenges he faces, as well as his 'off-duty' pursuits (like hiking in the Taiga), i doubt the leprosy theory has any merit.

Overall, whilst i'm no medical expert, the claim doesn't ring true to me.

Here is wikipedia's summary of leprosy - what's notable is that the majority of people who contract it do not develop the disease aspects, it's also curable, and surely these world leaders have access to the necessary medication:
Hopefully you right and Putin is healthy, maybe its just anti Putin propaganda coming in a time when he tries to improve constitution and lead country in different direction. Still I think if possible should be checked out if they chose to ask the question. Thank you for including C's transcript in reply,
 
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