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>> There definitely is a
leprosy in the United States.

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The most of it is imported.
But we do have homegrown

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leprosy here, principally in
Texas to Florida for many.

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>> Leprosy may seem like a
problem from biblical times.

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But Doctor Nicole, I mean, the
chief hospital epidemiologist

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at the University of Florida
tells me that the disease is

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very much still around. In
fact, leprosy could now be

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endemic in central Florida.

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>> And then that means
something that is circulating

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and is present at all times and
it can be at a low level.

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>> According to a new research
letter from the CDC, Florida is

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among the top states with the
most new cases of leprosy

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that's based on data from 2020.
The latest research data

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available so far this year in
Florida, there have been 15

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confirmed cases of leprosy
according to the state. And

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most of those cases are in
Brevard County. In fact,

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Brevard has seen the most
leprosy cases in Florida since

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2011 and in Twenty-twenty
Brevard accounted for over 12%

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of all leprosy cases in the
country. So what happens if

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someone has leprosy? Doctor
Ivey says that usually means

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lesions on the skin.

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>> You have something that's
like, you know, a few

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centimeters on your arm and you
can't feel it.

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That's going to be different
from the typical rapper just

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going to be a G or or some
other way that you would,

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you know, identify with the
normal rash. So it is it is

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distinct. It can be extremely
disfiguring, though. So it

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definitely causes a lot of
distress.

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>> So how does someone contract
leprosy doctor eye of the

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nhs's? Usually armadillos are
to blame. Physical contact is

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really what you need. You need
you need to have physical

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contact with infected
armadillo. Doctor Eugene says

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fortunately antibiotics are
very effective at treating

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00:01:48,860 --> 00:01:49,460
leprosy

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in Orlando. Marlie Martinez,
WESH, 2 news