Fox News Florida The letter said that the number of reported leprosy cases in southeastern states has more than doubled in the last decade.
Citing the National Hansen’s Disease Program, it said 159 new cases were reported in the U.S. in 2020, with Florida among the top reporting states.
Central Florida accounted for 81% of cases reported in the state and nearly a fifth of nationally reported cases.
“Whereas leprosy in the United States previously affected persons who had immigrated from leprosy-endemic areas, ≈34% of new case-patients during 2015-2020 appeared to have locally acquired the disease. Several cases in central Florida demonstrate no clear evidence of zoonotic exposure or traditionally known risk factors,” the letter noted. Zoonotic diseases are caused by germs that spread between animals and people.
In one central Florida man, a 54-year-old without risk factors for known transmission routes, the authors reported lepromatous leprosy. Lepromatous leprosy is one of three main types of leprosy, and people who are infected with it have widespread sores and lesions. The disease is more contagious, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
The man, who has lived in the area his whole life and is a landscaper, had sought treatment at a dermatology clinic for a painful and progressive erythematous rash. He denied recent foreign or domestic travel, exposure to armadillos, prolonged contact with immigrants from leprosy-endemic countries or connections with someone known to have leprosy.