According to an article published in Fox News, cases of autochthonous leprosy—now called Hansen’s disease—have increased in central Florida. In a new research letter, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that the cases have more than doubled in Southeastern states over the last decade. The National Hansen’s Disease Program shared that there were 159 new cases reported in 2020 in the United States, with Florida accounting for 81% of the reported cases. Historically, patients who contracted leprosy reported that they had been exposed to armadillos, traveled to foreign countries, or visited other regions of the United States where cases of leprosy have been more common. However, experts emphasized that in these recent Floridian cases, patients have reported that they had no zoonotic exposures and did not travel domestically or internationally, which has led the experts to believe that international migration of individuals with leprosy may be a potential source of autochthonous transmission. “This information suggests that leprosy has become an endemic disease process in Florida, warranting further research into other methods of autochthonous transmissions,” the experts concluded.
August 02, 2023