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How long is the usual incubation period before leprosy symptoms appear?
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leprosy
The Gandhiji Prem Nivas is a center for people with leprosy that was established by Mother Teresa in 1958 and is run by the Missionaries of Charity in Titagarh, India.
The incubation period for leprosy—the time between initial contact with the Mycobacterium leprae bacillus and the appearance of symptoms—is typically three to five years.1
Because the disease progresses very slowly, it is not uncommon for an individual to be infected as a child and not show signs of the condition until they have reached adulthood. In many cases, the infection is self-limiting and may resolve before any symptoms ever become evident.21