Florida Is Seeing a Leprosy Surge, and Scientists Think These Creatures Are to Blame
Florida Is Seeing a Leprosy Surge, and Scientists Think These Creatures Are to Blame
Raven BrunnerWed, July 29, 2026 at 7:29 PM UTC
1
Leprosy.Credit: iStockphoto/Getty -
A leprosy surge in Florida may be caused by a local creature
There have been 17 reported cases of leprosy in the state so far in 2026
Health officials suspect that Central Florida may be seeing more cases due to armadillos
A leprosy surge in Florida may be caused by a local creature.
There have been 17 reported cases of leprosy in the state —mostly in Central Florida — so far in 2026, according to WFTV Channel 9.
Health officials suspect the increase is coming from nine-banded armadillos, per WFTV. The species of armadillo is the only one known to carry the disease, according to Smithsonian Magazine.
Nine-banded armadillo.Credit: Enrique R. Aguirre Aves/The Image Bank RF/Getty
Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, is most often caused by a type of bacteria called Mycobacterium leprae. The disease commonly causes skin lesions and affects the peripheral nerves, per the World Health Organization.
A 2015 study at the National Hansen’s Disease Program previously found that armadillos may be a source of infection in the southern United States.
People can get leprosy from armadillos by touching or holding them. They then transmit it to each other through close, frequent droplet contact from the nose and mouth.
— sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Advertisement
Dr. Joseph Ladapo, the State Surgeon General of Florida, reassured residents that they should not be worried about the number of cases.
“This isn’t a problem of high incidents,” he recently said, per WFTV.
And according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, leprosy is considered uncommon in the U.S.,
Leprosy.Credit: iStockphoto/Getty
The new cases were reported in Brevard, Charlotte, Duval, Highlands, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Miami‑Dade, Okeechobee, Orange, Seminole, St. Johns, Sumter and Volusia counties, per WJXT.
Florida also saw an uptick in leprosy cases in 2023.
The CDC said at the time that the state accounted for nearly one-fifth of reported leprosy cases in the country, and 81% of the cases in the state were in Central Florida.
on People
Source: “AOL Breaking”
