CDC warning as leprosy cases increase in Florida

Infectious disease agency suggests central portion of state may have become endemic location' for potentially debilitating disease

Leprosy cases are surging in Florida, said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with a new report suggesting the central area of the state may have become an endemic location" for the infectious, potentially debilitating disease.

There were 159 new cases of leprosy in the US in 2020, the most recent year for which data was studied, according to a report published on Monday by the CDC. Florida was among the top reporting states, and almost a fifth of all cases were reported in the state's central region.