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A second case of leprosy has been officially reported in Ireland, again in the north-east of the country, irishhealth.com has learned.

The first officially recorded case of leprosy in this country was notified to the HSE's Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) in January of this year. The latest case was reported in June.

A HSE spokesperson confirmed to irishhealth.com that the second case was notified to the HPSC by HSE North East in June, and that it was a separate case to the one recorded in January.

As with the previous case, the patient had a recurrence of leprosy which they had contracted in another country,  and the leprosy was not contracted in Ireland, the HSE said.

It has not been confirmed at this stage how severe the second case of leprosy was or in what part of the north-east it occurred.

It is believed that as with the January case, the latest case was recorded in a male foreign national.

In the previous case, the patient had tuberculoid leprosy, which affects the skin, and was subsequently treated at a Dublin hospital.

To date the HSE has not released further details about the second case, citing patient confidentiality. Greater detail emerged about the first case as a result of it being reported on in the GP journal Forum.

The HSE has stressed that leprosy is not highly infectious. It is transmitted via droplets from the nose and mouth during close and frequent contact with untreated cases.

Leprosy is curable and treatment provided in the early stages can avert disability, the HSE said.

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

The leprosy case reported in the north-east in January was the first case officially recorded in Ireland.

It was only included in the list of notifiable infectious diseases last year. The Department of Health says it does not have official records of reported cases prior to this.

It is believed, although it cannot be confirmed due to a lack of records, that until this year, there were no leprosy case known to have occurred in Ireland for many decades.

A case of leprosy was recorded in Northern Ireland in 2007 in a foreign national who had contracted the disease while living in his home country.

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

Medical experts believe that with Ireland becoming increasingly multicultural in recent years, medical conditions formerly not common in Ireland are likely to be more frequently reported.

Leprosy is still common in the developing world, with around 250,000 new cases diagnosed annually. It was common in Ireland in medieval times.

First Irish leprosy case reported