Florida has become ground zero in the United States for the ancient disease leprosy according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which issued an alert to doctors on Tuesday.

(Video Credit: FOX 35 Orlando)

Most cases of leprosy have been brought into the country after visits to India and Brazil where the disease is still prevalent. However, cases in Florida are now occurring in people who have never been outside the United States and doctors are investigating why, according to the Daily Mail.

The disease is curable if caught early before it ravages internal organs and permanently disfigures its victims. Ninety-five percent of humans reportedly have a natural immunity to the disease. It is very hard to pass between humans and can be acquired through certain animals that carry the disease such as armadillos.

Leprosy, or Hansen’s Disease, has become endemic in Florida according to health officials. Physicians are being advised to check patients for the disease.

Florida accounted for a fifth of the 159 cases detected in the United States in 2020 which is the latest data available. One-third of those infections are believed to have occurred on American soil. The letter from the CDC said that the number of reported leprosy cases in southeastern states has more than doubled in the last decade. Central Florida accounted for 81% of cases reported in the state.

Most cases of new leprosy are in Florida, Texas, California and NY
11 Cases in Florida Bervard County alone, 15 in Florida total.
The media would have you believe Florida is overrun by leprosy
BUT these states have the biggest influx of illegals too

— Classified (OG) ™️ – Sponsor of White Boy Summer (@classiflied77) August 1, 2023

Fox News reported, “In one central Florida man, a 54-year-old without risk factors for known transmission routes, the authors reported lepromatous leprosy. Lepromatous leprosy is one of three main types of leprosy, and people who are infected with it have widespread sores and lesions. The disease is more contagious, according to the Cleveland Clinic.”

“The man, who has lived in the area his whole life and is a landscaper, had sought treatment at a dermatology clinic for a painful and progressive erythematous rash. He denied recent foreign or domestic travel, exposure to armadillos, prolonged contact with immigrants from leprosy-endemic countries, or connections with someone known to have leprosy,” the media outlet continued.

It is believed that a link to migration may account for the increase in incidences of leprosy.

The disease is caused by bacteria spread via droplets that attack the skin, nerves, and mucous membranes in the lungs. If left untreated, it can cause blindness and curling of the hands and feet which result in paralysis and a crippling effect. Other side effects include the shortening of toes and fingers, chronic non-healing ulcers on the bottoms of the feet, loss of eyebrows, muscle weakness, and nose disfigurement. Discolored patches of skin, usually flat, that may be numb and look faded, growths (nodules) on the skin, and thick, stiff, or dry skin are also common.

New disease dropped. Please ignore the fact that about 95% of the world’s population has a natural immunity to leprosy and you need to be rubbing all over someone that has it for 20 minutes to catch it if you are vulnerable. FEAR FLORIDA because of this tiny localized outbreak! pic.twitter.com/Hr5MZqQ6XE

— PhotographicFloridian (@JackLinFLL) August 1, 2023

Leprosy can affect people of all ages, but it’s most common in people aged 5 to 15 and those over 30.

“Travel to this area, even in the absence of other risk factors, should prompt consideration of leprosy in the appropriate clinical context. By increasing local physician efforts to report incidence and supporting further research to assess routes of transmission, a congruent effort can be made to identify and reduce spread of the disease,” the CDC said in its warning.

Leprosy is one of the oldest diseases known to man. Reports of it date back to the ancient Egyptians more than 4,500 years ago. It’s mentioned as a scourge in the Bible as well. It was feared and leper colonies were set up where those infected were sent to live out their lives away from others.

The bacteria Mycobacterium Leprae causes leprosy. It is very hard to catch, but if you are around someone long enough you can get it via contaminated droplets expelled from coughs or sneezes. Symptoms can take years to present themselves. According to the Cleveland Clinic, it can take three to five years for symptoms to surface, but there have been cases where it took two decades.

Florida is experiencing an increase in LEPROSY cases with nearly 20% of cases across the country coming from the center of the state
The number of reported leprosy cases across the country has doubled over the past decade and Central Florida accounts for 81 percent of cases… pic.twitter.com/TnfYe97gzF

— I am @sheeplovelies (@Imsheeplovelies) July 31, 2023

Doctors discovered the drug dapsone, a man-made antibiotic, in the 1940s which slows the growth of the bacteria and reduces symptoms. In the 1980s, further advancement was made when a multi-drug therapy (MDT) was introduced which combined the drug with two other antibiotics, rifampicin and clofazimine.

The treatment is lengthy. Patients have to take the drugs for six months to a year to make sure the bacteria are purged from their systems. The National Hansen’s Disease Program (NHDP) offers treatment for free to eradicate the disease.

The number of people worldwide infected with leprosy in the 1980s was about five million. By the 2020s, thanks to the multi-drug therapy, the number of cases dropped to about 133,000 per year, according to the Daily Mail.

Don’t let the democrats discredit Florida. Fake news. So far this year, there have been 15 cases of leprosy, according to the FDH’s Reportable Diseases Frequency Report. Eight people acquired the infection in the state.

— TeddyRuxpin-AI-Chat (@TradesTeddy) August 1, 2023

The World Health Organization reports that leprosy occurs in more than 120 countries and that more than 200,000 new cases are reported every year which is higher than what the Daily Mail reported. As of 2019, Brazil, India, and Indonesia, all reported more than 10,000 new cases, while 13 other countries each reported 1,000-10,000 new cases.

Because of the massive drop in cases, the World Health Organization considers leprosy to be a neglected disease and they have issued a warning that new cases are continuing to occur.

Smaller numbers of the infection have also been recorded in California, Louisiana, Hawaii, New York, and Texas.

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