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Posted on 08/06/2026 9:25:11 AM PDT by DFG
Cases of leprosy are on the rise in Florida, and health officials are linking many cases to exposure to a specific animal.
As of July 23, Florida’s Department of Health reported 17 cases statewide, with 81 percent in Central Florida, according to NewsNation affiliate WFLA. The heaviest concentration of cases has been reported in Volusia, Brevard, Lake, Orange and Seminole counties.
Last year, Florida had 36 cases, a record high since reporting began in 1992. At least 26 of those cases were contracted in Florida, one was contracted out of state, and two were contracted outside the country. Where the remaining seven cases were contracted is unknown.
What is leprosy?
Leprosy, also known as Hansen disease, is a chronic infectious disease caused by a very slow-growing bacterium called mycobacterium leprae. In some cases, it may take up to 20 years after contact for symptoms to appear.
Symptoms of leprosy include lesions, lumps, and ulcers on the skin, along with the loss of eyebrows and eyelashes. It can also affect the peripheral nerves, which link the brain and spinal cord to the skin, muscles, and internal organs. This can cause an infected person to lose their sense of touch and pain, meaning they are at an increased likelihood of suffering cuts and burns.
While leprosy was once believed to be highly contagious, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say it’s not easily transmittable between humans. A person would have to be in close, prolonged contact with an infected person and have direct contact with their saliva or mucus from their mouth or nose.
Even then, the CDC says, around 95% of people have natural immunity to it.
Leprosy is considered rare in the U.S., with about 225 people diagnosed every year. Worldwide, there are about 250,000 cases, and most Americans catch the disease while traveling abroad.
So how are Floridians catching it?
Health officials say the rise in cases may be associated with nine-banded armadillos, which are naturally infected with mycobacterium leprae.
The armored mammals are common in Mexico and the southern U.S. and are prevalent in central and northern Florida. They are considered invasive pests, as they tear up lawns and damage landscapes through heavy foraging and creating burrows.
People can be exposed to the bacteria by touching or holding armadillos. They can also be exposed by touching the soil around their burrows or foraging holes, which can be contaminated with bacteria from armadillo droppings or bodily fluid.
Is leprosy treatable?
Leprosy can be cured if caught and treated early. A patient would have to go through multi-drug therapy consisting of a combination of antibiotics.
Once treatment begins, the patient is no longer considered infectious.
Depending on the type of leprosy, the CDC says it could take anywhere from one to two years to treat.
Steps for avoiding exposure Some steps can be taken to help reduce one’s risk of exposure to the bacteria that causes leprosy. Here’s what the CDC recommends:
Avoid touching or holding armadillos
Do not hunt or eat armadillos
Place repellents or traps in yards to limit risk of exposure
Wear gloves and long sleeves when working in soil where they dig
Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water after working outdoors to remove bacteria from hands
If soap and water are unavailable, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer to neutralize the bacteria
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Illegal armadillos?
Guess we’re going to have to give up eating armadillos.
I refuse to ever go back to Florida since that homeless guy gave me the finger, I just threw it in the trash and flagged a taxi.
It is common here in northeast Oklahoma, to see dead armadillos on the side of the road.
“Health officials say the rise in cases may be associated with nine-banded armadillos”. There goes that idea, I wanted one as a pet.
“ Guess we’re going to have to give up eating armadillos.”
We call it Possum on the half-shell.
1) no armadillo on the half shell, armadillo tartare, etc.
2) do not use armadillo burrows as emergency shelter, foxholes, etc.
3) do not give armadillos pedicures. The cosmetic improvement is limited anyway.
Hoover hogs during the depression.
Back in the 80s I worked with a guy that kept a stuffed armadillo on his desk.
😂😂😂
Stop touching people with leprosy... Doh!
A lot of diseases can be prevented by avoiding contact with armadillos, rats, illegal aliens and Democrats.
Call ICE and stop the cholera, syphilis, etc epidemic of the past 8 years, which has been contributed to our society via 25 million disease-ridden migrant invaders...
That is the first step in eliminating all these diseases that the United States had solved in the 1950s and 1960s...
I’d like to give them a hand but Florida is a long way to go. I guess I could thumb a ride.
Another evil side effect of Joe Pedo’s “beloved and neighborly” freeloading illegal alien scumbags.
I once heard an elderly person from the swamp area of South Louisiana tell of the incident where his dogs cornered an animal under his porch. He killed it, cooked it, and ate it. He then called LSU to find out what it was. It turned out to be an armadillo.
On second thought, since armadillos have been resident in the Southern United States for a long time, the cases are probably due to illegal immigrants and the fast food industry.
You threw his finger in the trash?
I like how you roll!
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