The authors of a recent case report say it's the latest evidence that leprosy has gained a foothold in the Sunshine State, though no one's sure why yet.
, a journal run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the paper, the case involves a 54-year-old man who resides in Central Florida. Sometime last year, the man visited a dermatology clinic for help with a painful rash that had started in his legs and arms but eventually spread to his trunk and face. Testing soon confirmed that the man had contracted leprosy, a chronic infection caused bySome of the leprosy-caused lesions observed on the man’s limbs.
In this latest case, for instance, the man reported no travel history nor exposure to people who might have previously lived in endemic areas, such as migrants to the U.S. And between 2015 to 2020, the authors note, roughly a third of leprosy cases in Florida were likely also caught locally. At the same time, fewer and fewer cases have involved people born outside the U.S.
The authors say that more research is needed to understand how and why leprosy has gained a foothold in Florida. They point out that their patient and many other cases have reported spending lots of time outdoors, which could suggest a possible environmental source of the bacteria. They also advise that doctors outside Florida who come across leprosy cases in their area should start to consider recent travel history to the state as a possible explanation.
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