She was married off at the age of 15, and left her son when she was sent to the camp. At the time, forced segregation of leprosy patients was still a matter of government policy.

Decades ago, leprosy was a public health crisis, so much so that a mandatory segregation policy was enforced through the 1926 Leper Enactment by the British government in Malaya.

The laws were designed to protect the general population, even though they were largely seen as draconian.

But even before the enactment, the afflicted – or “lepers” as they were called in those days – were put in isolated segregation camps in various areas throughout the country.

It was not until the 1930s that the Sungai Buloh Settlement for leprosy patients and research was established.

It became the largest and most well-equipped leprosarium in the British empire.

At that time, Sungai Buloh was a vast forest, and the settlement was located far away from the rest of civilisation.

The purpose of the settlement was to provide patients with more humane treatment – a home away from home – instead of putting them away in a quarantine zone which bore little difference from a concentration camp.

It was also built as a research centre for scientists to find a cure for the contagious disease.

From then on, the Sungai Buloh Settlement took in leprosy patients from camps all over the country, the first being the Setapak camp in Kuala Lumpur.

Hafsa was transferred to the Sungai Buloh Settlement – now known as the National Leprosy Control Centre – amid the racial tension leading up to the May 1969 riots. She was roughly 18 years old.

She is one of only two Malay residents, also known as “inmates”, still living at the settlement.

Hafsa was only allowed to move in and out of the settlement when the legislation was lifted by the health ministry in 1979.

She did not have many friends during her time at the centre, she said – only one other Malay woman, and another friend whom she described as “fat”.

“I don’t remember her name anymore, but she had a car and used to drive me around,” she told FMT.

However, she never felt sad about her forced quarantine. “I had the disease, so I was forced to stay here.”

Hafsa used to spend her time working as a cook at the settlement.

“That was the time I started learning how to cook,” she quipped.

“I cooked for all the patients, even for their weddings,” she said, adding that curry and vegetables were her specialty.

Whenever she felt lonely, she would watch TV or go for walks.

“I’ve been here for so long, I think I may even die here,” she said.

Her son, now married with two children, was taken into the care of someone else in Penang when she was placed in quarantine.

“He has only visited me twice,” Hafsa added.

Addressing the myths and misconceptions of leprosy

Leprosy is a disease still shrouded in myth and misconceptions. The infection is caused by a slow-growing strain of bacteria called Mycobacterium Leprae, which comes from the same family which causes tuberculosis (TB).

But unlike TB, which infects the lungs, Mycobacterium Leprae infects the skin and, if left untreated, affects the nerves.

The bacteria is transmitted through heavy and consistent contact with body fluids of infected persons, and takes anywhere between four and 14 years for symptoms to show up.

Dr Radhiah Mustafar, formerly a doctor at the Sungai Buloh Specialist Centre, now dedicates part of her work to raising awareness on leprosy among the public.

“Leprosy itself is not that difficult to handle, it’s the stigma associated with it,” she said.

Radhiah said that with modern medicine, treatment was in fact very simple.

“There is no need to fear the disease anymore. Now there are pills you can take for six to 12 months,” she said. These replace the painful injections which used to be the main form of treatment.

She said new cases of leprosy no longer required admission to hospital.

Radhiah, who also holds a senior position at the National Leprosy Control Centre, said it was rare now for people to contract the disease as the bacteria only infected those with very weak immune systems.

“In this day and age, most people are healthier with access to good nutrition and healthcare,” she said.

However, when leprosy first became a national crisis, people were poor, and had low awareness on their health and hygiene.

“There were also many people living under one roof, so sanitation and air circulation were poor. This was why the disease spread so easily then,” she said.