https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2026/07/22/florida-leprosy-cases-surge-across-central-counties-armadillos-implicated-as-likely-source/
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Leprosy is curable. Standard multidrug therapy prevents disability and makes patients noninfectious soon after treatment begins. Public-health guidance advises people to avoid handling, skinning or eating armadillos; to wear gloves and wash exposed skin if contact is unavoidable; and to tell health care providers about any armadillo exposure when seeking care for persistent skin lesions, numbness or other symptoms suggestive of Hansen’s disease.."