CDC Health officials report a sharp increase in leprosy cases in Central Florida, also known as Hansen’s disease.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated in a news release on Monday that 81% of cases recorded in the state of Florida and nearly 5% of cases reported nationwide had come from Central Florida.
Surge in Leprosy Cases in Southeastern States
According to the press release, leprosy has historically been rare in the United States; incidence peaked about 1983, and throughout the 1980s through 2000, there was a sharp decline in the number of annual cases that were documented.
Reports show that the prevalence of leprosy in the United States has been gradually rising since then, though. Over the past ten years, there have been more than twice as many recorded cases in the southeastern states.
Numerous cases in Central Florida, according to the authorities, have not shown any conclusive signs of exposure to zoonotic agents or established risk factors. In addition, they mentioned that a local resident who lacked risk characteristics for known transmission channels had been diagnosed with lepromatous leprosy in the area.
A chronic infectious condition called leprosy mostly affects the patient’s skin and peripheral nerve system. When a patient is mistreated, it spreads through prolonged close contact.
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Leprosy’s Devastating Effects on Nerves and Skin
According to CBS News, leprosy is a disease that causes swollen nerves, muscle weakness or paralysis, baldness, thick, dry skin, growths on the skin, and areas of discolored skin.
Serious symptoms include blindness, foot ulcers, paralysis, and the paralysis and crippling of the hands and feet if the condition is not treated.
Every year, more than 200,000 new cases of leprosy are reported by medical professionals in more than 120 countries, according to the World Health Organization. Around 150 people in the US contract the illness each year, according to the CDC.
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