Health experts in Florida are warning of an unprecedented surge in leprosy cases, linking infections to contaminated soil and armadillos across the state. Dr Norman Beatty, an infectious disease physician and associate professor of medicine at the University of Florida College of Medicine, confirmed that local transmission is steadily increasing.
"Leprosy in the state of Florida is an ongoing, emerging infectious disease that we are identify more and more," Beatty told the Daily Mail. "Our job right now as a team is to shed light on leprosy here in Florida because this is a curable disease. The earlier we identify a case of leprosy, the better off a person will be."
If left untreated, the infection can cause devastating nerve damage and blindness. However, prompt treatment with antibiotics can reverse the condition if caught early.
Record Case Numbers in Florida
State tracking data shows Florida reported 36 leprosy cases last year, setting a record high since public reporting began in 1992. At least 26 of those cases were contracted within Florida, representing the highest number of locally acquired infections recorded in any US state over the past decade.
As of earlier this month, the state database reports 19 total cases so far in 2026. Long-term surveillance indicates that the upward trend has been building over two decades.
"If we look at the last 20 years of data, we are seeing increasing overall numbers of cases," Beatty said.
The condition remains rare across the United States, where antibiotics and improved hygiene limit illness to about 100 to 200 Americans each year. Globally, about 200,000 people contract leprosy annually, primarily in developing regions.
Wildlife and Soil Transmission Routes
Researchers have identified the nine-banded armadillo, found throughout most parts of Florida, as a key culprit. The animals can harbor the bacteria responsible for the disease, while contaminated soil near armadillo burrows poses an additional hazard.
"We have found that people who have acquired leprosy here in Florida have had exposure to either soil that has been contaminated with the bacteria and people who have had direct contact with armadillos, either by handling them or eating them," Beatty said.
Although leprosy was historically believed to be highly contagious between humans, modern medical evidence demonstrates that person-to-person transmission is difficult. The infection does not spread easily unless individuals maintain close, prolonged contact with saliva or mucus from an infected person.
Symptoms and Long Incubation Periods
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's Disease, is caused by the extremely slow-growing bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. The slow growth rate contributes to long delays between exposure and initial symptoms.
Beatty estimates that only about five percent of people who harbor the bacteria eventually become sickened by the disease. It can take up to 20 years after initial contact for visible symptoms to develop.
Most patients Beatty sees in clinical practice are between 60 and 70 years old. Many have lived with the underlying infection for anywhere from one to five years, or even several decades.
As the bacteria multiply, symptomatic patients develop discolored or lighter skin patches, raised bumps, painless ulcers, and areas of thick, dry skin. Over time, affected skin areas slowly lose feeling as the bacteria attack peripheral nerves near the surface.
In 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released images showing a 54-year-old man living in Florida who contracted leprosy locally, developing lesions and a rash across his face, arms, and legs.
Diagnostic Challenges and Medical Treatment
Medical researchers still do not fully understand why a small fraction of exposed individuals develop clinical disease while most remain unaffected.
"That is the great mystery of leprosy," Beatty told the Daily Mail. "From what we know currently, there are some genetic predispositions that would allow a person to develop a different form of this disease, but for the most part, we don't entirely understand who is at risk for developing leprosy."
Recognizing the disease requires careful clinical evaluation. "The combination of having an abnormal skin lesion plus the development of decreased sensation at the site really points toward an investigation for leprosy," Beatty said.
A definitive diagnosis requires a skin biopsy analyzed with specific dyes. This specialized test requirement, combined with the rarity of the disease, causes many patients to remain undiagnosed for several years.
Once detected, leprosy is easily treatable using antibiotics such as dapsone, rifampin, and clofazimine. Most patients take a combination of three antibiotics once a month for one to two years, while receiving ongoing care to monitor potential complications like nerve damage.
"This is a curable disease," Beatty said. "With appropriate treatment, a person can be cured and move on with their life."
Prevention and Public Health Awareness
To reduce transmission, Beatty urges Florida residents to avoid all direct contact with nine-banded armadillos, including touching, hunting, or eating the animals. Property owners with armadillo burrows in their yards should avoid touching surrounding soil, particularly if they have open wounds where bacteria could enter.
"Awareness of this emerging infectious disease is important, but we also want to not raise any alarms," Beatty said.
He noted that medical teams are focused on education and ongoing study to protect vulnerable residents.
"Really the goal is to demystify this disease and recognize its presence in our state, and to continue to research it, so that way we can have a better understanding of what transmission is like and why certain populations are getting infected," Beatty said.
Historical records show leprosy dates back at least 4,000 years, likely originating in Africa or Asia before spreading to Europe around 300 BC. For centuries, skin disfigurement caused by the disease led communities across Europe and the Middle East to shun patients out of a belief that it was a curse, a stigma public health officials are working to eliminate as modern care expands.
