Florida Logs 17 Leprosy Cases by Mid-July After 36 in 2025 as Armadillo Link Draws Focus
Updated
Updated · WJXT News4JAX · Jul 22
Florida Logs 17 Leprosy Cases by Mid-July After 36 in 2025 as Armadillo Link Draws Focus
3 articles · Updated · WJXT News4JAX · Jul 22
Summary
Florida reported 17 Hansen’s disease cases through mid-July 2026 after recording 36 confirmed cases in 2025, with health officials calling this year’s tally provisional.
Twenty-seven of last year’s 36 cases were acquired in Florida, reinforcing concern that the recent rise is being driven increasingly by local transmission rather than travel-related infections.
Central Florida remains the main hotspot: Brevard County accounted for 40 of Florida’s 74 confirmed cases from 2019 through 2022, and investigators have flagged counties along the Interstate 4 corridor.
Scientists say nine-banded armadillos can carry Mycobacterium leprae, and prior genomic research found matching strains in armadillos and many southern U.S. patients, supporting probable zoonotic spread in some cases.
Health officials still describe leprosy as rare, low-risk to the general public and curable, but stress faster diagnosis and avoiding armadillo contact to prevent delayed treatment and nerve damage.