Saturday 27/December/2025 – 01:43 PM
The Ministry of Health in Romania announced the recording of the first case of leprosy – Hansen’s disease – in the country since 1981, that is, after an interruption of 44 years.
The Romanian Minister of Health, Alexandru Rugobeti, confirmed that the case has been officially diagnosed, while three other cases are subject to clinical and laboratory evaluation based on the presence of skin lesions and epidemiological criteria.
The minister explained that the symptoms appeared in four women born in Asian countries, who work as masseuses in a salon in the city of Cluj-Napoca. As a result, the Ministry of Health, through the local authorities, ordered the temporary suspension of the salon’s activity until the epidemiological investigation was completed.
Rogobeti indicated that treatment had begun in accordance with World Health Organization protocols, stressing that the risk of transmission of infection decreases significantly and disappears after the start of treatment, in accordance with approved international standards. He also stressed that the level of risk to the general population remains low, and that the situation is being managed with high responsibility.
The minister added that the government health inspection authority will follow developments in the situation on a daily basis to ensure complete control over it.
According to data from the Romanian Ministry of Health, the last case of leprosy in the country was recorded in 1981, pointing out that cases of this disease in Europe are rare, and are often recorded among people coming from Asia, Africa, or Latin America.
