When the average annual number of Leprosy cases reported in Florida is four, then yes, as nine is more than double. As a mother of two curious fearless children I needed to find out what the correlation to armadillos was. Here’s what I found, Armadillos are the only other animal that can carry the bacterial disease. When I think of Leprosy, I think of San Lazaro, the saint that Jesus cured of Leprosy. But what is this mysterious yet scary disease? It is now referred to as Hansen’s disease.
It’s a chronic bacterial one that affects your skin, peripheral nerves and upper airway. Some of the scarier symptoms are skin lesions, numbness on affected areas of skin, muscle weakness or paralysis, enlarged nerves and deformity. One of the articles I read said that all the cases reported in Florida this year, were people who had in some way interacted with Armadillos. Eew! I mean yeah to some they are cute, and oooh look an armadillo, let’s get a closer look, well NO… not anymore buddy! So if infected, which the CDC assures is still rare, you can get treated. But of course that’s assuming you are diagnosed correctly, being so rare and all, I don’t think it’s up on a lot of doctors radars. Avoidance is best, yes? So tell your kids, “Do NOT play with armadillos”. If you see a dead one in the street, don’t go poking around, if you see one and it looks friendly, “Get away from that sucker”. Kids are fearless and curious so just make sure you tell them about the dangers of touching them. Yes we want to raise free willed, curious and adventurous children, but we also want them to stay healthy right?
Few more fun facts, men are more likely to get Hansen’s (aka Leprosy) than women and according to Dr. Truman, an expert in Hansen’s Disease, 95 percent of humans are completely immune. The disease is mostly found overseas but it’s good to be aware that you can catch it here in the U.S. and how. It may be dormant for a few years and is contagious. It’s important to be aware of these dangers, which is why I needed to share with all of you. Make sure to make your kids aware of the danger Armadillos pose in this way.
I didn’t think leprosy was even an issue in 2015.
Hope you all stay safe!
Wow! I had no idea there was a link between armadillos and leprosy! I don’t think my kids would approach one, but good to know just in case! We are dealing with bacteria in our waters here in Louisiana. Flesh eating bacteria in the Gulf and brain eating amoeba in nearby cities. It’s all too much for this mama!
I had no idea this was still an issue. Interesting article, thank you.