Leprosy is on the rise again in the United States, particularly in Florida.. The U.S. is experiencing cases creep upwards, with the number of infections across the country more than doubling over the past decade.. there were 159 new cases of leprosy in the U.S. in 2020, around a fifth of which were in Florida. Of the Florida cases, 81 percent were found in central Florida. Cases in the southeastern states have nearly doubled over the last decade ... Leprosy—also known as Hansen's disease—is caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis, and is one of the oldest recorded...