Florida Leprosy Cases Reach 17 in 2026 as Scientists Warn Disease Is Endemic

3 articles · Updated · Florida Today · Jul 22

17 leprosy cases had been recorded in Florida by July 11, with Central Florida again at the center and Brevard County reporting one case so far this year.
Recent research says leprosy is now endemic in Florida and the Southeast because more cases are being acquired locally without traditional risk factors such as armadillo exposure or foreign travel.
85 infections were reported in Brevard County from 2012 to 2021, and the county logged 20 of Florida's 27 cases in 2020, underscoring an unusually heavy concentration.
34% of new local patients during 2015-2020 appear to have caught the disease locally, and researchers are investigating environmental reservoirs such as soil contaminated by armadillo waste.
159 U.S. cases were reported in 2020, and although leprosy remains rare and treatable with antibiotics, scientists say the Florida cluster points to a growing regional public-health concern.

Sources

As leprosy becomes endemic in Central Florida, could a simple armadillo encounter expose you to a decades-long bacterial infection?

Why are landscapers with no travel history suddenly contracting leprosy, and what does this mean for outdoor workers?