A biblical disease is back with a vengeance in Florida experts warn which animal is to blame

Nine-banded armadillos are a common sight across the southern US.You’ll find them digging in flower beds and underneath your porch.Sometimes, unfortunately, they unsuccessfully attempt to cross a busy road.They are, for the most part, harmless.

But experts say the adorable armored creatures may be the culprit behind a rising number of cases of an ancient disease.Well, “ancient” is only partly true — it is a 4,000-year-old disease.But leprosy, AKA Hansen’s Disease, infects as many as 200,000 around the world today.In the US, there are several hundred cases a year and cases are climbing.

And Florida has some of the highest rates of infection in the country, with 17 so far this year.Cases have been steadily climbing, too: Florida had just 8 cases in 2022, 23 in 2023, 20 in 2024, and 26 last year.Central Florida appears to be a hot spot for cases, with 40 of the 74 cases reported from 2019 to 2022 (55%) in Brevard County, WJXT4 reports.This disease is caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium leprae.

It grows slowly, so it could take someone infected up to 20 years to develop symptoms.The bacteria affects the skin and nerves.People may develop thick areas of skin and ulcers and lose eyebrow hairs or eyelashes.

It also causes numbness and paralysis, particularly in the hands and feet.It could also lead to blindness.The shunning of people with the disease (as you might read in the Bible, where leprosy appears 68 times) is an outdated but pervasive association.Leprosy does not easily spread between people.

Around 95% of people have a natural immunity to it, and it requires prolonged exposure to spread.Also, it is very curable.People who contract it will get a regimen of antibiotics, and they’re no longer contagious after the first dose.Armadillos are natural carriers of the bacteria that causes Hansen’s Disease.They’re prevalent across southern states like Texas and Louisiana, but have been moving north for a few hundred years.

Some experts believe th...