Leprosy can be cured by modern treatment, but sufferers in China are shunned by society and forced to live in isolated villages in deprived conditions

LEPROSY. The word seems to belong to a bygone era, conjuring up visions of a biblical plague that sentenced its victims to life as outcasts.

In New Testament times, sufferers used to ring a bell while chanting 'unclean, unclean' to warn of their presence. That was 2,000 years ago but the disease, which causes hideous deformities, continues to afflict poverty-stricken countries.

Leprosy is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacteria leprae. The germ affects nerves in the face, arms and legs. Damaged nerves result in paralysis and loss of sensation, so wounds and other injuries go unnoticed.

Leprosy sufferers face danger in every aspect of daily life. Fingers get burnt while cooking, toes get gnawed by rats during sleep and grit in the eyes goes undetected and untreated. This can result in loss of sight, fingers and, ultimately, whole limbs. If untreated, leprosy is fatal.

According to a 1997 survey by the World Health Organisation (WHO), there are 1.15 million lepers in the world, although nowadays the term 'leprosy sufferer' is preferred. Leprosy tends to spread in areas of malnutrition and overcrowding and most affected people live in developing countries, such as India, Brazil, Bangladesh, Indonesia and China - where, since 1949, 500,000 leprosy cases have been recorded.

It is widely assumed that the disease has died out, but just 600km from Hong Kong, a leprosy colony survives.

Located in a rural area of Lian Jiang county, at the north of Guangdong province, the place is called Shek Kong Cheung, for half a century a ghost town. Passing drivers would speed through. Horrified passengers buried their faces in their hands. No one dared stop for a break or a meal in the empty streets. Even today, few dare to enter the place.