BINAURAL ASMR CONFESSION FROM THE VAULT

Doctor Andrew Michaels confesses his worst sins to others he is trapped with in Quarantine. After opening the Vault and releasing what was inside, many of the agents at the site were infected with a version of Leprosy. The Doctor must take medication to arrest the disease long enough to visit the last Leper Colony on earth to find the cure. Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a chronic infection caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Initially, infections are without symptoms and typically remain this way from 5 to as long as 20 years. Symptoms that develop include granulomas of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This may result in a lack of ability to feel pain and thus loss of parts of extremities due to repeated injuries or infection due to unnoticed wounds. Weakness and poor eyesight may also be present. Leprosy is spread between people. It is believed to occur through a cough or contact with fluid from the nose of an infected person. Leprosy occurs more commonly among those living in poverty and is believed to be transmitted by respiratory droplets. Contrary to popular belief, it is not very contagious. The two main types of disease are based on the number of bacteria present: paucibacillary and multibacillary. The two types are differentiated by the number of poorly pigmented, numb skin patches present, with paucibacillary having five or fewer and multibacillary having more than five. The diagnosis is confirmed by finding acid-fast bacilli in a biopsy of the skin or by detecting the DNA using polymerase chain reaction. Leprosy is curable with a treatment known as multidrug therapy (MDT). Treatment for paucibacillary leprosy is with the medications dapsone and rifampicin for six months. Treatment for multibacillary leprosy consists of rifampicin, dapsone, and clofazimine for 12 months. These treatments are provided free of charge by the World Health Organization. A number of other antibiotics may also be used. Globally in 2012, the number of chronic cases of leprosy was 189,000 and the number of new cases was 230,000. The number of chronic cases has decreased from some 5.2 million in the 1980s. Most new cases occur in 16 countries, with India accounting for more than half. In the past 20 years, 16 million people worldwide have been cured of leprosy. About 200 cases are reported per year in the United States.