Spinalonga: The Greek Island of Lepers

The island of Spinalonga, officially known as Kalydon, is located in the Gulf of Elounda in the north-eastern of Crete. In 1903, a leper colony was established on Spinalonga, to isolate people suffering from Hansen’s Disease from the healthy population. The cure for leprosy had not yet been discovered, and the contagious disease was regarded with horror. Hansenites, as lepers are known, were quarantined in leper colonies outside towns, living off the charity of passers-by.

The patients of Spinalonga were entitled to a small monthly allowance, which was often not enough to cover their food and medicine. These were hard times, when Greece was rocked by successive wars (Macedonian Struggle, two Balkan Wars, two World Wars, the Civil War), worsening the position of the lepers on Spinalonga. Living conditions were extremely poor, and some lepers’ accounts paint a picture of utter squalor.

The great change came about in 1930, when Epameinondas Remoundakis was brought to Spinalonga. Remoundakis was a third-year law student when he fell ill, and he seems to have been the person the others were waiting for in order to demand humane living conditions. The last inhabitant form Spinalonga flew to the continent in 1962. Now, Spinalonga is a place visted by thousand of tourist every year.

Photo of Spinalonga Island.

 

Leprosy or Hansen’s Disease

Hansen’s Disease is still a scourge today. In many countries, such as Greece, the disease has been eradicated, but this is not true of India, Africa and Latin America. In 2001, 763,000 new cases of leprosy were recorded, mainly in southeast Asia (668,000), while in 2005 the number of new cases fell to 300,000. Leprosy is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae, which is related to the tuberculosis bacterium. This microorganism was discovered by Doctor G. A. Hansen in 1873, which is why leprosy is officially known as Hansen’s Disease. The disease is contagious through prolonged contact with a sufferer, but most of the population (95%) is naturally immune. Today leprosy is curable and sufferers can lead a normal life without transmitting the disease. However, the world “leper” still carries a social stigma, and this is the main reason some patients do not seek medical assistance in the early stages of the disease.

 

By Luis Mendoza, MD, PhD

07 September 2017