Can One Contract Leprosy After Protected Oral Sex?

Posted on Tue, 10 Oct 2017

Question: Hello. 3 months ago I had sex with a german escort at a brothel in Berlin. It started with deep kissing, protected oral sex and then protected vaginal sex. I've already tested for all stds and everything seems to be okay. I am now concerned I might have caught leprosy through kissing. I mean, I know Germany is a no risk zone, but recently imigrants have been spreading all over europe and since she's a sex worker, she might have come in contact with leprosy. I didn't see symptoms on her but I read that the bacterium has a really long incubation... Could I've been infected this way? Sorry for my nad english but it's not my first language

Answered by Dr. Dr. Monika Dede (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Please don't worry!

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thank you writing in healthcare magic.

I understand your concern but I think you shouldn't worry.
The risk of getting leprosy for all people in the world is very low because more than 95% of us have natural immunity to the disease.
Even though leprosy it is known as a highly contagious , it is a good news that we now know it doesn’t spread easily and treatment is very effective.
However, in your case with a single contact you shouldn't worry even if your partner was infected.
You should know that you can get it only if you come into close , repeated and prolonged contact (over many months) with nose and mouth droplets from someone with untreated leprosy.

I hope my answer helps you.
Regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T