By Gloria Drealomalicha
Health experts in the United States are urging residents to avoid handling armadillos and to take extra care when working with soil, following growing evidence linking the animals to an increase in cases of Hansen’s disease, more commonly known as leprosy.
The nine-banded armadillo, a distinctive mammal commonly found across the southern United States, has long been regarded as a harmless creature that spends much of its time burrowing through gardens, lawns and woodland in search of insects and other small prey. However, scientists say the animal is one of the few known natural carriers of Mycobacterium leprae, the bacterium that causes leprosy.
Although leprosy is often associated with ancient history and biblical accounts, the disease has never disappeared. The World Health Organization estimates that about 200,000 new cases are recorded globally each year, while the United States diagnoses fewer than 250 cases annually.
Recent figures, however, suggest infections are gradually increasing in parts of the country, especially in Florida.
State health records show Florida has confirmed 17 cases so far this year, compared with eight in 2022, 23 in 2023, 20 in 2024 and 26 in 2025. Central Florida has emerged as a key area of concern, with Brevard County accounting for more than half of the state’s reported infections between 2019 and 2022.
Medical experts explain that leprosy develops slowly, with symptoms sometimes taking up to 20 years to appear after infection.
The disease attacks the skin and peripheral nerves, causing numbness, skin lesions, thickened patches of skin, muscle weakness and ulcers. If diagnosis and treatment are delayed, it can result in permanent nerve damage, paralysis and, in severe cases, blindness.
Despite its historical stigma, specialists emphasise that leprosy is one of the least contagious bacterial diseases.
Around 95 per cent of people have a natural immunity to the infection, and transmission usually requires prolonged and close contact with an untreated infected person. Once treatment begins, patients quickly become non-infectious, and the disease can be cured with a combination of antibiotics.
Researchers believe armadillos may expose humans to the bacteria not only through direct contact but also indirectly through contaminated soil.
The animals spend much of their lives digging burrows and foraging underground, where the bacteria may survive for extended periods.
Juan Manuel Campos Krauer, an assistant professor at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, said the environments where armadillos live and feed could increase the risk of exposure.
“Where the armadillo eats, lives and reproduces, everything could affect the chance of a human being exposed to leprosy because the bacteria that causes the disease can remain in the soil for some time,” he explained.
The nine-banded armadillo is widespread in southern states, including Texas, Louisiana and Florida, but researchers say its range has gradually expanded northwards over the past few centuries, with sightings now reported as far north as Massachusetts.
Even with the recent rise in infections, public health officials stress that Hansen’s disease remains rare in the United States. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says many Americans diagnosed with the disease were infected while travelling to countries where leprosy remains more widespread, including Brazil, India and Indonesia.
As a precaution, experts advise members of the public to avoid touching armadillos, whether alive or dead. Gardeners and anyone handling soil in areas where the animals are common are encouraged to wear protective gloves and wash their hands thoroughly after outdoor work.
Some researchers have also suggested that bacteria may spread when armadillos are killed on roads. A physician in Mississippi told Science magazine that motorists who accidentally strike one should wash their vehicle afterwards as a sensible safety measure.
While experts insist there is no cause for alarm, they say simple precautions, early diagnosis and prompt treatment remain the best ways to prevent the disease and avoid long-term complications.
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