Cases of leprosy have increased in Florida and the southeastern United States over the last decade, according to a new CDC report.
, found that reported cases doubled in the Southeast over the last 10 years.
Although leprosy can spread person to person, it's not known precisely how. The disease does not spread through casual physical contact like shaking hands or sitting next to a person on the bus, according to the CDC. Rather, scientists' current thinking is that the bacteria gets transmitted via droplets from an infected person's coughs or sneezes during a prolonged period of close contact.
The main difference between a rash and leprosy is the loss of feeling in the affected area, she said.
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