‘Rising evidence that it has become endemic’
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(Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash)
(FOX NEWS) — Cases of leprosy are surging in central Florida, according to a recent research letter shared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The authors said that the Sunshine State has “witnessed an increased incidence of leprosy cases lacking traditional risk factors,” with trends contributing to “rising evidence that leprosy has become endemic in the southeastern United States.”
“Travel to Florida should be considered when conducting leprosy contact tracing in any state,” they wrote.
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.