a variety of reasons; the notification of sufferers is often inadequate or nonexistent; medical facilities for the detection of leprosy are often inadequate or nonexistent; and, infected patients are often hidden from the authorities in some communities. Thus, it is not clear as to the prevalence or incidence of leprosy.
In addition, given inadequate data, the age, sex, and social characteristics of those individuals infected with leprosy are questionable. What is clear is that leprosy tends to manifest in developing nations in which the socioeconomic status of infected patients is either below or at poverty, although cases have been reported in more economically advanced countries. Hastings (Miller & Love, 1989, p. 310) does report evidence, however, that the manifestation of leprosy is prevalent among those individuals residing in economically impoverished areas in the sense that this disease is more prevalent among individuals having low standards of living. Given the empirically supported nose-to-nose contact, Hastings (Miller & Love, 1989, p. 310) notes:
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