The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted in a new Emerging Infectious Diseases report on Tuesday that cases of leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, are rising in Florida.
The infectious disease primarily affects the skin and nervous system and can be easy to treat if caught early.
Leprosy has been historically uncommon in the United States, but has more than doubled in the South over the last 10 years. Research discussed in the CDC’s August issue of the Emerging Infectious Diseases notes that Central Florida has accounted for 81% of reported cases in the state and almost one-fifth of reported cases nationwide. They believe Central Florida might be an endemic location for the disease.
Because Florida, particularly Central Florida, has an increasing number of cases, the author of the case report is recommending that physicians, when treating patients with symptoms of leprosy, ask them if they have traveled to or lived in Florida.
According to the National Hansen’s Disease Program, of the 159 new leprosy cases reported in the United States in 2020, Florida was among the top reporting states with nearly 30 cases. The Florida Department of Health reported 19 cases from July 2022 to July 2023, with one South Florida case in Palm Beach County.
The researchers of the newly published report said if untreated, the disease can progress to paralysis, blindness, the loss of one’s eyebrows, physical disfigurement, and even the crippling of hands and feet. Symptoms include loss of feeling in hands and feet, nasal congestion and possibly dry, stiff, sometimes painful skin.
The main difference between a rash and leprosy is the loss of feeling in the affected area, Dr. Nicole Iovine, chief hospital epidemiologist and an infectious disease physician at the University of Florida, told WESH.
The report’s authors learned more about the disease transmission when examining a patient diagnosed with leprosy.
“Whereas leprosy in the United…
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