It was confirmed on Friday by health officials that a member of the crew on a cruise ship has leprosy. Hansen’s disease, commonly called leprosy, is a disease that is curable and is not considered to be very contagious. The only risk would be if the person with the disease had close personal contact with someone else.

The crew member was in Canada on the cruise ship only because the ship had been hired for the housing of the Olympic security staff and he has been receiving treatment since February 18 when he was diagnosed. This young crew member is unnamed and works in the engine room aboard the ship. He did not have any contact with the military or police and was not part of a passenger support or service role. It is believed that the crew member only posed a risk to the already criticized Vancouver games than he did to anyone there on the ship.

This particular ship is located in the city’s harbor and provides housing for the Canadian Forces and police for the 2010 Winter Olympics. All crew members of the ship have been examined and also given antibiotics just as a precaution. There have been no other cases found.

Every year Canada sees about 10 or 15 cases of leprosy and these are usually in people from other countries where the disease is known to still spread. Contrary to what is believed by many people, leprosy does not result in body parts, such as toes and fingers falling off. The disease forms from a bacterium that mainly attacks the respiratory tract and peripheral nerves with the external sign from this disease being lesions on the skin. If this disease goes untreated, it can get much worse, sometimes causing permanent eye, limb or skin damage.