Leprosy could be endemic in the US state of Florida, a new report has found
There have been 15 reported cases of leprosy in Florida in 2023, with the majority in Brevard County, NBC News reports.
Brevard Country tales in Port Canaveral, a major cruise ship dock in Florida, as well the Kennedy Space Centre.Speaking to an affiliate of NBC News, Sky's US partner network, Dr. Nicole Iovine, chief hospital epidemiologist and an infectious disease physician at the University of Florida, said leprosy can present a rash with pigmented, scaly lesions, as well as disfigurement on the face and hands.
"If you have something that's like a few centimetres on your arm, and you can't feel it, that's going to be different from a typical rash, which is going to be itchy," she said.One in five to have major illness by 2040It is not completely understood how the condition spreads between people, but scientists' current thinking is the bacteria is transmitted through droplets from coughs or sneezes, or prolonged contact with an infected person.
There is also evidence that contact with armadillos, which naturally have leprosy-causing bacteria, can also cause people to get ill. The condition is treatable, with antibiotics typically offered to patients - however if it is left untreated it can lead to paralysis and blindness.
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