Is King Viserys’ ailment hereditary?

Warning: This article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon

Episode eight of House of the Dragon revealed the death of King Viserys and how his final memory was seeing his family united. His death got viewers curious about his ailment as he was suffering before he kicked the bucket. While the king showed signs of dementia and possible infection, Paddy Considine recently revealed that Viserys suffered a unique form of leprosy.

Spoilers ahead.

The actor claimed the king’s illness caused his body to deteriorate despite his young age. It has been a while since leprosy was mentioned in the mainstream as it’s currently considered a rare disease. Unlike in the past, when it was a serious problem, modern medicine and healthy cleaning habits managed to reduce infection rates.

But as the era depicted in the HBO series is one where medical science wasn’t that advanced, is there a chance that Viserys’ children would also one day become victims of the disease? Also, what about those who had been in contact with the ailing king – do they run the risk of contracting the disease?

The long-term effects of King Viserys’ illness

According to the CDC, leprosy (or Hansen’s disease) is only transmissible through prolonged close contact with the infected person. Casual contact such as shaking hands or sitting next to each other will not put the person at risk as it is a long-term bacterial disease. Leprosy isn’t hereditary either as it’s not a genetic condition. This confirms that neither the king’s children nor anyone he has been in contact with will catch the disease.

House of the Dragon brought to light a rare disease that was once seen as dangerous in the past. And unlike before when infected people were forced to isolate themselves from society, modern medicine and healthy self-care habits have made it possible to treat the illness, as well as learn more from it.

But just because the disease is rare doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be taken seriously. The CDC reported a handful of countries where the disease is still widespread. If untreated, the person could risk nerve damage, paralysis, or blindness. Though luckily, there is medication to help treat the disease now, the medication can’t reverse the permanent damage it causes.

House of the Dragon airs weekly, every Sunday, on HBO and HBO Max