Cases of leprosy rising in Florida, new report shows

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted in a new Emerging Infectious Diseases report on Tuesday that cases of leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, are rising in Florida.

The infectious disease primarily affects the skin and nervous system and can be easy to treat if caught early.

Leprosy has been historically uncommon in the United States, but has more than doubled in the South over the last 10 years. Research discussed in the CDC’s August issue of the Emerging Infectious Diseases notes that Central Florida has accounted for 81% of reported cases in the state and almost one-fifth of reported cases nationwide. They believe Central Florida might be an endemic location for the disease.

Because Florida, particularly Central Florida, has an increasing number of cases, the author of the case report is recommending that physicians, when treating patients with symptoms of leprosy, ask them if they have traveled to or lived in Florida.

According to the National Hansen’s Disease Program, of the 159 new leprosy cases reported in the United States in 2020, Florida was among the top reporting states with nearly 30 cases. The Florida Department of Health reported 19 cases from July 2022 to July 2023, with one South Florida case in Palm Beach County.

The researchers of the newly published report said if untreated, the disease can progress to paralysis, blindness, the loss of one’s eyebrows, physical disfigurement, and even the crippling of hands and feet. Symptoms include loss of feeling in hands and feet, nasal congestion and possibly dry, stiff, sometimes painful skin.

The main difference between a rash and leprosy is the loss of feeling in the affected area, Dr. Nicole Iovine, chief hospital epidemiologist and an infectious disease physician at the University of Florida, told WESH.

The report’s authors learned more about the disease transmission when examining a patient diagnosed with leprosy.

“Whereas leprosy in the United States previously affected persons who had immigrated from leprosy-endemic areas, about 34% of new case-patients during 2015–2020 appeared to have locally acquired the disease,” the report says. According to the World Health Organization, medical officials report more than 200,000 cases of leprosy every year in more than 120 countries. While the reason behind the rising cases in Florida is unclear, there is some support for the theory that international migration to Central Florida of people with leprosy is fueling the locally-acquired transmission.

“Prolonged person-to-person contact through respiratory droplets is the most widely recognized route of transmission,” the report says. But while it can spread person to person, it’s unclear how, particularly in Central Florida.

When contact tracing cases in Central Florida, researchers found no associated risk factors, including travel, zoonotic exposure, occupational association, or personal contacts. “The absence of traditional risk factors in many recent cases of leprosy in Florida, coupled with the high proportion of residents who spend a great deal of time outdoors, supports the investigation into environmental reservoirs as a potential source of transmission,” the report says.

South Florida Sun Sentinel health reporter Cindy Goodman can be reached at cgoodman@SunSentinel.com.