Leprosy may now be endemic in Florida, CDC says
NBCMAY 2023
Leprosy in the US previously affected people who had immigrated from leprosy-endemic areas. However, the exponential rise in locally acquired disease suggests Central Florida could be an unexpected leprosy hotbed. Nonetheless, there's no need for alarm or to cause public health panic as the numbers remain relatively low. Moreover, the infection is curable and doesn't spread through casual physical contact.
Leprosy is increasing in the US not because of immigration but because of poverty, cramped housing, poor nutrition, and possible malfunction of the body's immune system. Scientists, physicians, and the federal government must look into environmental reservoirs, like plants, soil, and water, as potential transmission sources to better understand how and why this biblical disease is spiking in Florida.