Florida reports rise in locally acquired leprosy cases, armadillos implicated
State health data show an increase in Hansen's disease cases in Florida during 2025 and 2026, with most infections acquired locally and research pointing to armadillos as a possible source.
Florida's Department of Health recorded 36 confirmed cases of Hansen's disease in 2025, 27 of which were acquired within the state, and 17 provisional cases through mid-July 2026. The increase is concentrated in Central Florida, with Brevard County accounting for a large share of the 74 cases reported between 2019 and 2022, according to the University of Florida's Emerging Pathogens Institute. Cases have been identified in multiple counties, including Brevard, Lake, Orange, Seminole, Sumter and Volusia, among others.
Scientific studies have established that nine-banded armadillos can harbor Mycobacterium leprae, the bacterium that causes leprosy. A 2011 genomic analysis found identical bacterial strains in armadillos and patients in the southern United States, supporting the possibility of zoonotic transmission. A 2023 CDC report and subsequent university investigations noted a growing proportion of patients in central Florida with no travel history to leprosy-endemic regions, suggesting local exposure as a factor.
Health officials stress that leprosy remains rare and that the overall risk to the public is low. Transmission typically requires prolonged close contact with an untreated individual, and armadillo-related infection is considered uncommon. Approximately 95% of people are naturally resistant to the disease, and standard multidrug therapy is effective in curing patients and preventing disability. Authorities advise avoiding handling, skinning or eating armadillos, using gloves and washing exposed skin if contact is unavoidable, and informing health care providers of any armadillo exposure when seeking evaluation for persistent skin lesions or numbness.