Center provides research, treatment for Hansen's disease

The National Hansen's Disease Center is a unique research, training, and treatment complex at Carville, LA, for Hansen's disease (leprosy), a chronic illness affecting an estimated 15 million people worldwide. The Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul helped establish it in 1896, and in 1921 the center became a federally funded institution. SUlfone drug treatment, a major advance, was begun there. Scientists at Carville study the disease's unknown mode of transmission; training administrators conduct learning seminars; and laboratory researchers produce bacteria samples to be distributed as possible vaccines. Some patients receive treatment and leave, whereas others reside at the self-contained community. Reconstructive surgery is performed there, and special footwear is made. Some patients work on The Star, a magazine dedicated to correcting misconceptions about the disease and its communicability. The center includes a school and a pool and golf course. Hansen's disease care programs are available in many states and are expanding to other areas.