Dec. 4, 2025, 8:25 p.m. ET
- A case of leprosy has been reported in Leon County, Florida.
- Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s Disease, is rare in the U.S. and is curable with antibiotics.
- The disease does not spread easily, and the CDC notes that 95% of people have a natural immunity.
A case of leprosy has been reported in Leon County.
According to the Florida Department of Health, it’s one of 36 cases in Florida this year.
The case in Leon County was acquired in Florida by someone between 80 and 84 years old, according to DOH data.
The World Health Organization says leprosy, also known as Hansen’s Disease, is caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium leprae, which affects the eyes, skin, nerves and lining of the nose.
Leprosy is rare in the United States, but people still contract the disease across the globe. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, up to 225 people in the U.S. and 250,000 around the world are diagnosed with it every year.
In Florida, out of the 36 people who were diagnosed with leprosy this year, 27 of them acquired the disease within the state. In the other nine, one was acquired in the United States outside of Florida, three were acquired outside of the U.S. and five cases are unknown.
It can take up to 20 years to develop symptoms, the CDC says, and 95% of people won’t get infected because their immune systems are able to fight off the bacteria.
Leprosy does not spread easily from person to person and is curable with a combination of antibiotics.
Is there a link between armadillos and leprosy?
In 2023, USA TODAY reported that there’s a medical mystery brewing in Florida and an unsuspecting, mild-mannered mammal may be at the center of it.
Some experts say the nine-banded armadillo may be behind a rise in domestically transmitted cases of leprosy. Another group quick to defend the armored creature says there’s little data to support armadillos – which are known to carry the bacteria that causes leprosy – are directly causing the uptick.
But others Armadillos are “getting scapegoated.”
The decadeslong debate resurfaces every time health officials report a new case of leprosy, yet scientists have made little progress in pinpointing how the disease is transmitted.
While the majority of leprosy cases are transmitted to the U.S. through international travel, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report in August suggests the disease is becoming endemic to the southeastern parts of the country, where armadillos are often found.
Nine-banded armadillos are the only mammals other than humans that have been shown to carry Mycobacterium leprae, or M. leprae, the bacteria that causes leprosy.
USA TODAY contributed to this story. Arianna Otero is the trending and breaking news reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at AOtero@tallahassee.com and follow her on X: @ari_v_otero.
