Two new cases of leprosy, also known as leprosy, have been reported in Brevard County, Florida, Florida Today reports, citing data from the local health department. The total number of cases of the ancient disease mentioned in the Bible has reached 19 in the state for the year.
Leprosy, often called Hansen's disease in the United States, is a chronic infectious inflammation caused by the mycobacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. The infection primarily affects the skin of a person, and also leads to problems with the nervous system, including loss of vision and paralysis of the limbs.
The World Health Organization (WHO) lists leprosy as a neglected disease that currently affects mostly marginalized populations in the poorest countries, but Florida's 2025 year is the highest recorded locally.
As reported in early August, the state reported 36 cases of infection last year, while at the US level the figure dropped to 174 from 205 recorded in 2024. Official records of leprosy cases have been kept since 1992. By comparison, before 2014, Florida averaged no more than 6 cases of leprosy each year.
Two new infections this year occurred among older people, the Florida Department of Health noted. One patient is over 70 years old and the other is over 80. Of the 19 reported cases, only four were imported from outside Florida, three of which were from outside the United States.
The specific reasons for the increase in leprosy in Florida have not yet been determined, but as Florida Today notes, past research has pointed to possible transmission by the nine-banded armadillo. It is found in the region along Interstate 4 in the central part of the state.
Cases of leprosy have also been reported in recent years in Louisiana and Texas, where armadillos are also found. Apart from people already infected, this species is the only known source of the bacterium that causes the disease.
As doctors warn in connection with the news, a sharp loss of sensation in the arms and legs, as well as the appearance of dark and insensitive spots on the skin may be symptoms of leprosy. If symptoms develop upon arrival from Asia, Africa or Latin America, or after contact with those diagnosed with the disease, seeking medical attention is strongly recommended.
Experts note that sometimes the development of symptoms occurs over a period of 20 years, but timely treatment with antibiotics in the first years after infection in our time will allow us to completely get rid of the once fatal disease. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also reminds that 95% of people have developed immunity to it over the millennia of leprosy.
