Rising evidence that leprosy has become endemic in Southeastern United States

Re:Rising evidence that leprosy has become endemic in Southe... by FiatLuxDave on Sunday July 30, 2023 @09:42PM (#36937953)

For those who keep asking, "why Florida", it is because of the armadillos. I will note that the one case in the article without classic risk factors "works in landscaping, and spends long periods of time outdoors". Armadillos are very common to encounter outdoors, and although the case subject reported no armadillo contact, I would be quite surprised if no one he worked with in landscaping also had no armadillo contact.

The fact Florida Tech has long been a world supplier of leprosy samples from local armadillos is quite relevant: https://news.fit.edu/archive/rising-star-disney-comes-to-cou...

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Re:Rising evidence that leprosy has become endemic in Southe... by aiisjustanif on Monday July 31, 2023 @10:38AM (#36943235)

Armadillos are just as common in Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, and especially Texas compared to Florida. I don’t feel like that tells the full story.

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Re:Rising evidence that leprosy has become endemic in Southe... by alexfromapex on Wednesday August 02, 2023 @07:36AM (#36969475)

The ideal temperature for M. Leprae is between 91.4 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Those other states have more cold snaps whereas Florida is more temperate.

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