Ancient Disease Resurgence Sparks Urgent Expert Warnings

Leprosy is among humanity’s oldest known illnesses — a disease that, for much of history, carried a stigma as heavy as its symptoms.

References to leprosy stretch back at least 4,000 years, with researchers believing it likely emerged in Africa or Asia before spreading into Europe as early as 300 BC.

Across medieval Europe and the Middle East, the infection tore through communities, causing painful, discolored or disfiguring skin lesions. In many societies, people with the disease were cast out, feared and wrongly viewed as cursed.

In the modern United States, leprosy — now more commonly called Hansen’s disease — remains uncommon thanks to antibiotics, improved sanitation and better public health measures. Roughly 100 to 200 cases are reported nationwide each year.

Florida, however, has become a growing focus of concern, with specialists warning of an unusual rise in cases that may be connected to exposure to contaminated soil and certain animals.

Without treatment, Hansen’s disease can cause severe nerve injury, permanent disability and even blindness. When detected early, though, the infection can be treated — and often reversed — with a course of antibiotics.

“Leprosy in the state of Florida is an ongoing, emerging infectious disease that we are identifying more and more,” Dr Norman Beatty, an infectious disease physician and associate professor of medicine at the University of Florida College of Medicine, told Our News Outlet.

“Our job right now as a team is to shed light on leprosy here in Florida because this is a curable disease. The earlier we identify a case of leprosy, the better off a person will be,” he said.

Leprosy is an infection caused by the extremely slow-growing bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. 

While about 200,000 people around the world, largely in developing areas, get leprosy every year, only roughly 200 Americans become ill. 

Last year, Florida reported 36 cases, a record high since reporting began in 1992. At least 26 of the cases were contracted within the state, the highest amount of locally acquired cases in any US state for the last decade. 

As of earlier this month, the state’s database reports 19 total cases so far in 2026. 

‘If we look at the last 20 years of data, we are seeing increasing overall numbers of cases,’ Beatty said.  

He notes the culprit in Florida is the nine-banded armadillo, which is found in most parts of Florida and can harbor the bacteria that cause leprosy, as well as contaminated soil near armadillo burrows. 

‘We have found that people who have acquired leprosy here in Florida have had exposure to either soil that has been contaminated with the bacteria and people who have had direct contact with armadillos, either by handling them or eating them,’ he said.

While experts long believed leprosy was highly contagious from person to person, modern evidence shows it is not easily transmittable between humans unless they have close, prolonged contact with an infected person’s saliva or mucus. 

Beatty estimates that only about five percent of people harboring the bacteria become sickened by leprosy, and it can take up to 20 years after initial contact for symptoms to appear. 

He notes most patients he sees are between 60 and 70 years old and have lived with the infection for anywhere from one to five years, or several decades.

It’s unclear why some people go on to develop leprosy while the majority do not. ‘That is the great mystery of leprosy,’ Beatty told Our News Outlet. 

‘From what we know currently, there are some genetic predispositions that would allow a person to develop a different form of this disease, but for the most part, we don’t entirely understand who is at risk for developing leprosy.’ 

As the bacteria multiply, symptomatic patients develop discolored or lighter bumps on the skin, painless ulcers and swelling and thick, dry skin. Over time, areas with discolored skin slowly become numb as the bacteria attack peripheral nerves near the skin. 

‘The combination of having an abnormal skin lesion plus the development of decreased sensation at the site really points toward an investigation for leprosy,’ Beatty said. 

A skin biopsy using specific dyes is necessary to make a leprosy diagnosis, and this specific requirement, Beatty notes, along with leprosy’s rarity, can contribute to many patients going undiagnosed for several years. 

Once detected, leprosy is easily treatable with antibiotics such as dapsone, rifampin and clofazimine. Beatty notes most patients take a combination of three antibiotics once a month for one to two years. They will also receive ongoing treatment to evaluate possible complications such as nerve damage. 

‘This is a curable disease,’ Beatty said. ‘With appropriate treatment, a person can be cured and move on with their life.’ 

To avoid contracting leprosy, Beatty urges Floridians to avoid any contact with nine-banded armadillos, which includes touching, hunting or eating them. People with armadillo burrows in their yards should also avoid touching the surrounding soil, especially if they have open wounds in which the bacteria can enter. 

‘Awareness of this emerging infectious disease is important, but we also want to not raise any alarms,’ Beatty said. 

‘Really the goal is to demystify this disease and recognize its presence in our state, and to continue to research it, so that way we can have a better understanding of what transmission is like and why certain populations are getting infected.’