Leprosy Is Spreading in Florida

[riversedge]

Source: newsweek



Updated Mar 21, 2024 at 4:22 PM EDT


Leprosy is on the rise again in the United States, particularly in Florida, concerning disease specialists.

According to the World Health Organization, about 200,000 cases of the disease occur every year in 120 countries worldwide and are often associated with contact with armadillos.



...................


Leprosy has a long history of stigma, mainly due to the impacts it can have on a victim's physical appearance. Until the mid-1900s, treatment wasn't available, meaning that the disease could progress to the point of causing severe physical deformities, including disfigured hands and feet, and changes to the appearance of the face and nose. These symptoms inspired such fear of contagion that leprosy patients were often socially excluded.

It is transmitted via respiratory droplets, often from close and prolonged contact with untreated individuals who have the active form of the disease. However, it is not highly contagious, and most people who are exposed to the bacterium do not develop leprosy..................................




Leprosy is treatable with multidrug therapy (MDT), which typically includes a combination of antibiotics such as dapsone, rifampicin, and clofazimine. Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial to prevent complications and reduce transmission of the disease. With timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment, the vast majority of leprosy cases can be cured, and deaths directly attributable to leprosy is now, thankfully, relatively rare.








Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/leprosy-cases-rising-florida-1882008

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Link to tweet

?s=20

[Turbineguy]

1. There's a vaccine

Dr. Joseph "Mengele" Ladapo won't like that.

[LeftInTX]

15. There is?

[reACTIONary]

25. There is...

https://www.news-medical.net/health/Leprosy-Prevention-and-Vaccination.aspx

[riversedge]

44. It does not seem to be a very efficient vaccine at this point-maybe 25 or 50% for short periods.

but it seems more work is being done to develop a better vaccine.

[Swede]

2. Of course it is.

nt

[msongs]

3. if its in the bible crowd its good enuff for everyone nt

[Comfortably_Numb]

4. Florida is in the bowels of hell, and deservedly so. I live in Texshitistan so I recognize a shithole state when I

see one….

[ananda]

12. It's a crapshoot which is worst.

It's like they keep trying to outdo each other.

[Warpy]

23. Until Texas cockroaches start to fly

Florida is worse.

You can trust me on that.

There are armadillos in Texas and the rest of the southeast. Most cases of Hansen's disease, AKA leprosy, are in people who hunt them, skin them and eat them.

I understand the meat is quite tasty. I'll pass.

[ToxMarz]

24. I imagine it's one of those 'It tastes like chicken' meats

As long as there are chickens, I'll just stick with them.

[Warpy]

27. I think it's more of a red meat

and is prepared accordingly. People cultivate the critters in South America.

I've eaten a wide variety of critter, including frog, grasshopper and rattlesnake. I'll pass on the armadillo.

[Captain Zero]

57. is there leprosy in S America from eating Armadillos??

guess I should just google.

[Warpy]

58. I suggest "leprosy hot spot map" as your search

The bacillus lives in the soil. You don't need to dine on undercooked armadillo to catch it.

[LeftInTX]

30. There are more armadillos in Florida. I think they like the wetter climate.

[Warpy]

40. I haven't seen any here in NM

Maybe they live in the southern part of the state, where rivers tend to have water in them more often.

[tazkcmo]

41. They do.

At least since 1979 when I first arrived in San Antonio.

[NanaCat]

42. The cockroaches fly in some parts of Texas

It depends on what part of the state you're in. The further south you go, the more airborne they are.

[Warpy]

46. Ugh, thanks for the warning

although my traveling days are over. Desert cockroaches are big suckers, but they live outdoors and only venture inside to forage,

One thing I've loved best about the high desert is NO BUGS, at least no flying bloodsuckers. The high priced real estate down by the river has to deal with mosquitoes and the diseases they carry. I'm far above their breeding ground, rain never produces standing water long enough for them to breed.

About the only troublemakers were noseeums, usually arriving at the end of the monsoon. Once I learned to dab the itchy bites with a little Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap, making them disappear in a day, those were no problem.

Still, one of the real pleasures here is to sit outdoors at sunset, watching the sky go through all sorts of color changes. I'd have been bitten to death if I tried it down south or in Mass. or in the midwest or in DC or anywhere else I lived until I moved here. Having so few bugs around was an unanticipated pleasure when I moved here.

[LeftInTX]

49. There isn't such thing as a desert cockroach and they don't come inside to forage.

In the US, thee are the large cockroaches and they all pretty much look the same. They exist all over the south and in place like New York City. They are in AZ and CA. I'm sure they are in NM. According to Orkin, they are in Canada. https://www.orkincanada.ca/pests/cockroaches/american-cockroaches/

Their numbers vary:
American Cockroach, AKA palmetto bug, water bug, sewer roach https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_cockroach

In cold climates, these cockroaches may move indoors, seeking warmer environments and food. Cockroaches may enter houses through sewer connections, under doors, or around plumbing, air ducts, or other openings in the foundation. Cockroach populations may be controlled through the use of insecticides. Covering any cracks or crevices through which cockroaches may enter and cleaning any spills or messes that have been made is beneficial, so cockroaches are not able to enter and are not attracted to the food source. Another way to prevent an infestation of cockroaches is to thoroughly check any material brought inside. Cockroaches and egg cases can be hidden inside or on furniture, in boxes, suitcases, grocery bags, etc.[13]

They all look like the American Cockroach:
Smoky Brown Cockroach -(Pretty much same as American cockroach)
Oriental Cockroach -(Pretty much same as American cockroach)
Australian Cockroach -(Pretty much same as American cockroach)

They show up in living areas when they're "displaced". The most common reason, to see one in your living area because it was already living in your walls and they got crowded. They can also come in via our feet and occasionally when they're spooked.


They survive better in moist areas. They breed in trees, in ground cover, lawns, plants, under decks, rocks, they lay eggs in our exterior window frames, water mains, irrigation systems etc. They don't come in to forage. They just come in. If the habitat is good indoors, they multiply indoors. I have them in my walls and garage and my tub pan. Our garage is a great habitat for them. Any sitting moisture such as a small plumbing leak will invite an infestation. (They can breed in room air in humid areas. Our garage in San Antonio is humid enough. I guess our walls are also humid enough. Cabinets in air conditioned homes tend to be humid enough) They come via any exterior crack. Also, we had some exterior wood rot and like termites, that also brought an infestation. We probably have millions in our yard.

Their populations might be lower in the desert and that is why their interior infestation is lower, but Phoenix also has problems. Phoenix has pools. Phoenix has sewers. Phoenix has palm trees. Phoenix has irrigation systems etc etc. If they live outside, they will come inside if they find a crack that they like.

They apparently only need like a drop of water a week to survive. For food, anything is enough. They can eat the wood in your home or any starch or protein. (Paper, sugar, food, etc) They like dark, small, moist places to breed. If you see a large roach scampering around your kitchen floor, it isn't foraging, it's displaced. If they have large populations in the walls, they will leave and go out in the open and look for a new home. Sometimes fighting in the nest scares them out in to the open. They can usually find a new home without going out in the open.

OK...rant over...
I've been traumatized by them!! I've fought and studied them!!!

[hatrack]

45. Possum On The Half Shell!!

[Warpy]

47. Never had possum

but squirrel can be rather nice. I was told there was dog meat in a stew I ate at a feast on a rez out here. I just said "interesting" and kept on eating, which I think shocked them. It was all red meat, so I couldn';t swear to what was in it, but the meat wasn't the star, IMO, it was the chiles and posole.

[hatrack]

50. MMMMMMM POSOLE . . . . . .

[raccoon]

55. You're right about the armadillos. They are in SC and GA, I know.

[Warpy]

56. I never saw them in western NC

so I suppose they don't like high altitude living. I did see them in the eastern part of the state, usually squashed on the side of the road. NC is likely the top of their range, I never saw them in eastern VA.

[Comfortably_Numb]

33. You called it. Gregg Abbott is a complete douche. He's weak and over compensating..POS.

[sop]

26. Florida's going to Florida.

[RipVanWinkle]

31. I left Texas 10 years ago

and I haven’t looked back.

[4lbs]

5. Maybe they are waiting for Jesus to save them again?

His name is pronounced "Hey Zeus" and he's from Puerto Rico.

[walkingman]

6. When you have a nutjob Florida Surgeon General what would you expect?

[teach1st]

7. All Florida has to do is to make Leprosy illegal

Bingo! Problem solved.

[getagrip_already]

9. They will just put thrm on busses to nyc

And call it a liberal gay disease.

[prodigitalson]

8. sounds right

[SergeStorms]

10. It's all Joe Biden's fault.

I'm sure Hair Furor will attempt to blame it on Joe somehow.

There really is a plague on Florida. When Democrats ran the state they never had all of these problems.

[marble falls]

11. Thankyou, Governor Puddingfingers.

[Coventina]

13. I'm well aware that I'm going to hell.....

I have to admit, I laughed at that headline!



on edit:

?si=lxNW1bOp2utoTY95

[Hekate]

14. DeSadist is a one-man Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse & "Dr" Ladapo is his sidekick

[LeftInTX]

16. Florida Man Leper Colony!

[wolfie001]

17. I'll have to check with my bro Joe Rogaine and see what the approved bro treatment plan is

Maybe the cure-all is ivermectin. I mean, it worked so well with the COVID.

[surfered]

18. Yikes!

[question everything]

19. Florida Risks Making a Dangerous Measles Outbreak Much Worse

In response to the outbreak, the Florida Department of Health has issued a letter with a surprising new recommendation that contradicts the standards of health practice for measles outbreaks in two big ways.

First, in that letter, the state’s surgeon general, Joseph Ladapo—who has gone against established public health practice before—wrote that unvaccinated kids who may have been exposed to measles can continue to attend school. This is unprecedented and dangerous. Children without the prior immune exposure that vaccines provide need to be isolated for 21 days after exposure to avoid contracting and further spreading this illness.

Second, despite local calls from public officials to get children vaccinated, Ladapo has failed to recommend vaccination for kids without immunity. This is troubling because unvaccinated kids can still get protection against measles if they get vaccinated within 72 hours of exposure. And if they get vaccinated within 72 hours, they can return to school as long as they don’t develop symptoms. Many parents don’t know this information, and leaving it out is deceptive.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/florida-surgeon-general-risks-making-a-dangerous-measles-outbreak-much-worse/

[BootinUp]

20. This disease has always freaked me out. Admittedly, I am ignorant

of many of its aspects.

[LeftInTX]

29. It's always been in Mexico.

It isn't extremely contagious. It's often spread by handling armadillos. I believe that's how the outbreak happened in Florida.

The treatment is a very strong antibiotic. (I believe it's the same antibiotic that is used to treat TB)

[IbogaProject]

21. Guess Jeebus is returning soon

So horrible for those afflicted now in the 21st century.

[Rebl2]

22. The hand

actually looks like someone with severe rheumatoid arthritis that isn’t being treated.

[Traildogbob]

28. Please get to

Mardi Lardo. And spread like hell at fundraisers there.
Ebola will be fun to watch.

[limbicnuminousity]

32. Waiting for the flagellants to appear

and for Max von Sydow to show up for his chess match.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

34. Win

[AZSkiffyGeek]

35. Waiting for some Florida Man story about licking armadillos

[Skittles]

37. *SNORT*

[SergeStorms]

39. A lot of people....

don't even know there are armadillos in Florida. Go out walking in the palmetto scrub and it's lousy with them.
They not only spread leprosy, but tuberculosis as well.
Great little creatures for your kids as pets.

[cstanleytech]

36. For a second I thought the article was about Trump supporters in Florida. Oh wait, it might actually be.

[Kablooie]

38. It's gods punishment for supporting Trump.

He’s tired of Trump taking his name in vain.

[dembotoz]

43. well they want florida to be biblical

Leprosy is in the bible...mission accomplished.....
big flood? yep they got that too

[Aristus]

48. I have seen nothing yet to deter me from my perception that Florida is a pestilential hellhole.

I'm keeping the entire North American continent between myself and that place.

[kimbutgar]

51. Another reason to not set foot in Florida

I wouldn’t go to Disneyworld nor take a cruise for that state!

[Blue Owl]

52. Bannon must be shacking up down there

[3catwoman3]

53. I was stationed in San Antonio TX in 1976-77...

...with the AF nurse corps. Texas came as a major shock to my western upstate New York self, for many reasons.

When I first got there, someone told me about armadillo chili. The first step in the recipe was to find a roadkill armadillo and take it home. I suspected I was being pranked, but was never entirely sure.

[0rganism]

54. What are the esteemed Dr. Ladapo's recommendations?

Ivermectin and prayer? Works for everything, right?

[mainer]

59. People don't normally play with armadillos

Maybe insect borne transmission?

[LeftInTX]

61. Armadillos can be lawn, garden and agriculture pests and I believe this started with a lawn service

which was relocating armadillos.

Relocating armadillos is fairly common because they can tear up yards. They are easier to handle and trap than skunks, raccoons and possums. I think sometimes lawn services just "catch them" on site, grab them and move them. They aren't vicious. They roll up in a ball if caught.

[SouthernDem4ever]

60. Does Leprosy affect the brain?

Just looking for reasons they vote for such big assholes down there.