A case of leprosy was recorded in Ireland in recent months - it is believed to be the first time in many decades that a case of the disease has been officially reported in the 26 counties.

The HSE confirmed to irishhealth.com that a case of leprosy was notified to its Health Protection Surveillance Centre in January of this year. Leprosy was only designated a reportable infectious disease in Ireland last year.

The health executive said the person with leprosy had suffered a recurrence of the disease, but he did not contract the disease in Ireland.

The case was reported in the north-east of the country, in a man in his thirties from South America who had been working in Ireland for a number of years. He has been treated for the condition in a Dublin hospital.

It is believed the man was diagnosed with tuberculoid leprosy, which affects the skin.

The HSE stressed that the case is not a cause for public alarm as leprosy is not highly contagious.

The disease is transmitted by droplets from the nose and mouth, during close and frequent contacts with untreated cases.

The HSE said the bacterium that causes Leprosy - Mycrobacterium leprae - multiplies very slowly and the incubation period for the disease is about five years. Symptoms can take as long as 20 years to appear.

The health executive stressed that leprosy is curable and treatment provided in the early stages can avert disability.

Leprosy is an infectious disease mainly affecting the skin, superficial nerves and respiratory mucosa.

It can be successfully treated with multiple antibiotics.

Contrary to some popular belief, leprosy does not cause body parts to fall off, but it can cause severe damage if left untreated.

Secondary leprosy infections can cause fingers and toes to become shortened and deformed.

Leprosy, also called Hansen's disease, is the oldest known communicable disease.

It is still common in the developing world, with around 250,000 new cases diagnosed annually. It affects millions of people globally, mainly in Asia, Africa and South America. Over 70% of new cases are found in India.

Stigma and fear associated with the disease in some countries can lead to delays in diagnosis and treatment.

The case reported in Ireland in January is the first officially reported case of leprosy here for decades. The condition is now very uncommon in Europe.

A report on the recent Irish case is written up in the current issue of Forum, the journal of the Irish College of General Practitioners.

The HSE told irishhealth.com there were no cases officially reported here between 1981 and 2012, with leprosy only included in the list of notifiable diseases last year. It is not therefore known whether there were cases of leprosy in Ireland occurring but not officially reported during this period.

Leprosy was not included in our list of notifiable diseases in the 1981 infectious disease regulations, which has provided the basis for the reporting of infectious diseases in Ireland over the past three decades.

A case of leprosy was reported in Lurgan, Northern Ireland in 2007, in a man from East Timor, who had contracted the disease while living in his home country.

Experts believe that in an increasingly multicultural Ireland, illnesses previously not often seen in this country will become more prevalent.

It is not known when the last indigenously-acquired leprosy case occurred in Ireland. The last such case was reported in the UK in 1954 and prior to that, in 1925.

Find out more about leprosy here