Health

Petting an Armadillo in Florida Could Lead To Leprosy, Officials Say

It's been decades since Americans have had to seriously worry about the threat of leprosy, but Florida residents may want to keep the flesh-eating infection in mind next time they step outside.

According to USA Today, health and wildlife officials in the state are advising people to stay away from armadillos, who have been found to carry the disease.

Nine cases of Hansen's Disease, formerly known as leprosy, have already been reported this year alone.

A Brazilian Three banded armadillo in Rio de Janeiro.
(Vanderlei Almeida/Getty Images)

In an email to USA Today, president-elect Dr. Sunil Joshi of the Duval County Medical Society said that in his area, "each case reported this year has involved people who had direct contact with armadillos."

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Armadillos are the only animals known to carry the disease, but it is rare to contract Hansen's from direct contact with them. More often, the disease is spread from one human to another through sneezing and coughing. CNN reports that 95 percent of humans are immune to the rare infection.

In many cases, it is difficult to pinpoint what exactly causes the infection as the disease can sit dormant for months or even years before any symptoms appear.

CNN reports that Florida generally reports anywhere from two to 12 cases of the disease each year while the national average sees 50 to 100 cases every year.

According to the CDC, symptoms of the rare disease include skin growths, paralysis and eye problems. Hansen's disease can be treated with relative ease through a regimen of antibiotics.

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