Florida Logs Record 36 Leprosy Cases in 2025 as 17 More Appear by Mid-July 2026

3 articles · Updated · WPEC · Aug 2

Florida recorded 36 Hansen’s disease cases in 2025—the highest total in its modern database—surpassing the previous peak of 29 in 2015.
State records show 27 of the 2025 patients were believed infected in Florida, while 17 additional preliminary cases had been reported statewide by mid-July 2026.
The 2026 cases span 14 counties, and officials caution they are assigned by patients’ county of residence, not necessarily where exposure occurred because symptoms can take years or decades to appear.
Central Florida has carried much of the burden historically, with Brevard County alone reporting 20 of the state’s 27 cases in 2020, fueling research into whether the disease is becoming endemic there.
Health officials say Hansen’s disease remains rare, does not spread easily, and is usually linked to prolonged close contact with an untreated patient; armadillos and possible environmental exposure are also under study.