Published: 04:23 BST, 30 August 2026 | Updated: 06:25 BST, 30 August 2026
It's one of the world's most ancient diseases, long associated with shame and uncleanliness.
Historical records of leprosy date back at least 4,000 years, likely originating in Africa or Asia before reaching Europe as early as 300 BC.
For centuries, leprosy, which causes disfiguring painful or discolored skin patches, ravaged entire towns across Europe and the Middle East, with many cultures shunning those sickened over the belief that the disease was a curse.
Today, leprosy, also known as Hansen's Disease, is rare in the US due to antibiotics and hygiene improvements, affecting about 100 to 200 Americans every year.
But in Florida, experts are warning of an unprecedented surge in leprosy potentially linked to contaminated soil and animals.
If left untreated, it can lead to devastating nerve damage and blindness. Prompt treatment with antibiotics, however, can reverse the condition if caught early.
'Leprosy in the state of Florida is an ongoing, emerging infectious disease that we are identify more and more,' Dr Norman Beatty, infectious disease physician and associate professor of medicine at the University of Florida College of Medicine, told the Daily Mail.
'Our job right now as a team is to shed light on leprosy here in Florida because this is a curable disease. The earlier we identify a case of leprosy, the better off a person will be.'
Leprosy causes disfigured or colored patches of skin. Eventually, patients may lose feeling in their extremities. Pictured above are the hands of a leprosy patient in India
Leprosy is an infection caused by the extremely slow-growing bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis.
While about 200,000 people around the world, largely in developing areas, get leprosy every year, only roughly 200 Americans become ill.
Last year, Florida reported 36 cases, a record high since reporting began in 1992. At least 26 of the cases were contracted within the state, the highest amount of locally acquired cases in any US state for the last decade.
As of earlier this month, the state's database reports 19 total cases so far in 2026.
'If we look at the last 20 years of data, we are seeing increasing overall numbers of cases,' Beatty said.
