[VIDEO] Leprosy Making Return To America, Doctors Warn People To Avoid This Animal At ALL Cost

[VIDEO] Leprosy Making Return To America, Doctors Warn People To Avoid This Animal At ALL Cost

Leprosy is a horrible disease that causes colored patches on the skin and can damage the eyes, nerves and limbs.Just 30 years ago, there were millions of known cases in the world – though the number of people who contract the disease has dropped to around 230,000 since then. But NOW those numbers are beginning to rise again.

Doctors have started warning against making contact with armadillos after a series of leprosy outbreaks that many believe are linked to the animal. The frightening disease is also known as Hansen’s disease.

While new cases usually appear in just 16 countries, about 200 cases are reported in the U.S. per year. Florida state normally sees 10 cases per year, but nine have been reported since the beginning of 2017 shows a pretty big spike.

May locals to Florida have said you always should be cautious when interacting with one with one person saying,”It has been know since the seventies at least. Google armadillos and leprosy and see. We have always had incidental cases of leprosy here and there was a leprosarium in south Louisiana.”

Despite this link between armadillos and leprosy, some experts expressed skepticism that a real connection actually exists. Dr, Richard Truman, chief of the National Hansen’s Disease Program’s laboratory research branch, told NPR that he wasn’t sure of the odds that the nine cases in Florida could have all come from armadillos.

“For one, what kind of numbers are we talking about? That’s not very different than what may be occurring over normal periods of time,” he said.

While experts say that people shouldn’t panic because 200 cases is a drop in the bucket compared to other countries, they also advise to use caution and just leave the armadillos alone so there’s no doubt of being exposed.

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