Leprosy Cases Surge in the US; How to Spot Infectious Disease

Leprosy Cases Surge in the US; How to Spot Infectious Disease
(Photo: Wikimedia Commons/B.jehle)

Leprosy is a thing until today. The contagious illness has surged in the country, so you should know how to spot it.

Leprosy Cases in the USA

There are now frequent cases of leprosy in some sections of the Southeast of the United States. Recently, Florida has experienced an increase in leprosy cases, which is explained by the large number of newly confirmed cases in the state.

The spike in newly reported cases in central Florida emphasizes how critical it is that medical professionals report these cases immediately to trace contacts, determine sources, and stop transmission.

Dermatologists Rajiv Nathoo and Charles Dunn were fascinated when one of their patients had an uncommon ailment that went undiagnosed for five years last year. The man's forehead and ears were deformed, and a scratchy rash covered most of his body.

The fact that he had been a gardener led the physicians to investigate further, even though he did not meet the usual risk factors for the condition.

Nathoo, a senior author of the new case report and member of the Advanced Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery Consortium in Orlando, reported an increase in cases, a lack of traditional risk signs, and a geographic cluster.

In Florida, leprosy may be locally acquired and endemic. Physicians who treat the illness in Miami agree.

Leprosy cases are rising in the state for unclear reasons. The illness is believed to be spread by persistently close contact with droplets from an infected person's sneezes or coughs.

Another option is to contact nine-banded armadillos, some of which are naturally infected with the bacteria that causes leprosy. The leprae bacteria might also spread indirectly, such as through contaminated soil.

ALSO READ: Leprosy Could Be a Permanent Fixture in Florida; Disease May Be Locally Acquired [Study]

How to Spot Leprosy?

Leprosy mostly affects the skin and peripheral nerve system, resulting in physical deformities and numbness in the affected skin.

Sensation loss on pale or reddish skin patches could be the first signs. The bacteria can cause the skin to thicken with or without nodules as they proliferate within the skin. Seldom may this result in a smooth, appealing-looking facial contour known as lepra Bonita, or "pretty leprosy," on a person's face.

As the condition worsens, it may result in nerve damage, increased neck nerves, nasal malformations, and loss of eyebrows.

Due to the long incubation period and slow rate of proliferation of the pathogenic bacteria in the human body, symptoms may not appear for up to 20 years at a time. Thus, many people are likely to get infected before they are aware of it.

Thankfully, institutions like the Armauer Hansen Research Institute, which carries out immunologic, epidemiological, and translational research in Ethiopia, and the Order of Saint Lazarus, which was initially established in the 11th century to combat leprosy, are strengthening global efforts to screen for leprosy. In India, the voluntary organization Bombay Leprosy Project follows suit.