The illness leprosy isn't usually associated with Canada, but doctors in this country need to be better informed about it, a new study suggests.

There are an estimated 500 people living with leprosy in Canada, with about 12 new cases popping up each year.

It can take years for symptoms such as skin lesions to show up, which is why many people don't know they have the bacterial infection.

Photomicrograph of Mycobacterium leprae taken from a leprosy skin lesionCourtesy: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

"This is a very treatable, very curable infection," said Dr. Kevin Kain, director of the tropical disease unit at Toronto General Hospital. "Yet many of these people have been missed, sometimes for months, sometimes for years."

• FROM FEB. 10, 2003: McGill team finds gene linked to leprosy

Farman Mar immigrated to Canada almost one year ago from India. A few months after arriving, Mir started to feel weak but his family doctor was at a loss to explain the swollen feet and rash.

Most physicians in Canada have never diagnosed the disease, which is more common in tropical climates. "It took four months for me to see an infectious disease specialist," said Mar.

His specialist was Dr. Jay Keystone of the Centre of Travel and Tropical Medicine at the University of Toronto.

"When we examined him, we said, 'now wait a minute, he's got some swelling of his finger," recalled Keystone. "Then when he said he had some numbness, bam, the diagnosis was made."

In a study appearing in Tuesday' issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, Kain and his colleagues said it can take years to properly diagnose cases of leprosy, also called Hansen's disease.

• FROM MAY 16, 2001: UN campaign to control leprosy a 'major success'

Leprosy can be contracted through close and prolonged contact with an infected person. It's believed all the cases in Canada originated outside the country.

Kain said doctors need to have many more global diseases on their radar screens or they won't be diagnosed.

The bacteria can provoke an aggressive response from the immune system. Not making a speedy diagnosis can come with severe consequences, such as disfigured hands with no sensation.

Mar is now being treated with antibiotics and doctors say he will eventually be cured.