Armadillos Connected to Leprosy Cases

THEIR SERVICE LEARNING EXPERIENCE. HELLO. I'M JENNIFER CRAWFORD. ROUGHLY 100 YEARS AGO, THE 9 BANDED ARMADILLO WAS AN INVASIVE SPECIES TO FLORIDA SPREADING INTO THE ECOSYSTEM AFTER ESCAPING AS EITHER ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS OR AS PETS. NOW A DOCTOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA SAYS THE ARMORED MAMMALS COULD BE ONE REASON FOR THE RISE IN LEPROSY CASES IN FLORIDA. ALREADY THIS YEAR, THOUGH, FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH HAS CONFIRMED 19 CASES OF LEPROSY. IT'S ON PACE TO PASS THE MODERN HIGH OF 39 CASES FROM 2025. THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH SAYS 9 BANDED ARMADILLOS NATURALLY CARRY THE BACTERIA THAT TRANSMITS LEPROSY, WHICH CAN BE SPREAD THROUGH SOIL OR DIRECT CONTACT. >> FOR MORE, I AM JOINED BY DR. ONE COMPOST GRAUER A PROFESSOR. >> AT THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA AT THE COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY. >> MY PLEASURE. PLEASURE TO BE HERE WITH THAT. >> DOCTOR LEPROSY. >> DATES BACK TO BIBLICAL TIMES. IT'S ONE OF THE OLDEST HUMAN INFECTIONS. IT'S EVER BEEN RECORDED. >> WE DON'T HEAR THAT MUCH ABOUT IT UNTIL RECENTLY AS CASES SEEM TO BE ON THE RISE. WHAT IS LEPROSY AND HOW COMMON IS IT? >> YEARS LIBERTY IS ONE OF THE. THIS BUT AERIAL INFECTIONS IN HUMANS. AND IT'S REALLY IT'S ONE OF THE FEW BUT PERIOD INFECTIONS THAT THE RECORD OF RARE 200 THOUSANDS OF YEARS IN THE PAST. IT'S A VERY DISTINCT ATTIC. THE SEAS BECAUSE AS YOU MENTIONED, WE HEAR ABOUT IT FROM VERY LONG TIME AGO AND IT CAN AFFECT HUMANS IN THE WAY THAT IT'S VERY SYSTEMATIC. BUT IT'S NOT. SUPER SUPER HIGHLY PREVALENT. IT'S STILL AROUND WONDERFUL MAIN OBJECT THERE. THE OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION IS TO ERADICATE LEPROSY FROM THE WORLD AND A CHALLENGE. BUT IT'S THERE'S A LOT OF PROGRESS IN. >> WHY ARE WE SEEING MORE CASES IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA? >> WILL IS IN. THERE. IT'S NOT FOR THE CLEAR. ONE OF THE BIG PROBLEMS FOR YEARS AND LEPROSY CASES IS THAT IT TAKES A LONG TIME FOR CENTER FOR THE DOUBLE UP SPECIALLY AND HUMANS. SO SOMETIMES A PERSON CAN BE EXPOSED TO IT. AND THEN MANY YEARS LATER START SHOWING SYMPTOMS. AND IT'S ALSO NOT A VERY COMMON DECESOS. IT'S SOMETHING CHAIRMAN, JIM, EVEN TO ONLY NOW, THERE'S A LOT MORE EFFORT. A LOT MORE. THEY'RE TRAINING SO THAT IT CAN BE DONE TO FIGHT. MORE EASILY. AND THAT'S WHY IT'S A SHOWING UP MORE CASES ARE SHOWING UP. BUT ALSO WE DON'T CLEARLY UNDERSTAND WE DON'T CLEAR TO UNDERSTAND. YEAH, EXACTLY WHERE IT'S BEING ACQUIRED. OF COURSE, IT CAN BE ACQUIRED DIRECT FROM DIRECT CONFLICT FROM PERCENT. OR AN ANIMAL. AND HERE IN FLORIDA. AND THAT'S WHERE I SPECIALIZE. I SPECIALIZE WITH ARMADILLOS. IS THERE. WE BELIEVE THAT OUR MONTH IN THOSE CAN BE INVOLVED BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THEY CAN CARRY LEPROSY. IT'S ACTUALLY THE ONLY MAMMAL IN THE AMERICAS THAT CAN CARRY AND ACTUALLY DEVON LOVE LETTER C AND SO WE THINK THAT THAT COULD BE ONE OF THE CASE IS WHY WE'RE SEEING IN FLORIDA SINCE IS THAT NATO AND THE MOTORS SOLD ON THAT. >> DR. WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR ANYONE WHO MIGHT HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH AN ARMADILLO OR ITS HABITAT? >> IT'S IMPORTANT TO MENTION THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO BE SCARED OF ARMADILLOS ARMADILLOS ARE RE DEGREE LITTLE CREATURES THERE HARM THIS. THEY DON'T ARMADILLOS DON'T BUY THE MACE, CORRECT, BUT THEY DON'T BUY. THEY WON'T CHASE PEOPLE OR ANYTHING. THE ONLY PROGRAM OF THEIR LIVES IS THAT THEY ARE A POSSIBLE HOST FOR THIS REFERRED BUSINESS. SEE SO THEY CAN CARRY IT. NOT ALL ARMADILLOS CARRY LEPROSY. SO IF YOU HAVE A GARDEN, ONE OF THE THE THINGS THAT I WANT TO REALLY EMPHASIZE IS THAT IF YOU WORK IN THE GARDEN BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE ARMADILLOS ARE THERE GOING TO BE IN YOUR GARDEN IN YOUR YARD, CHASING FORENSICS UP WITH THE FEED ON. THEY'LL BE BEGIN AROUND RUNNING AROUND. SO. YOU COULD BE EXPOSED TO SOIL THAT WAS IN CONTACT WITH OUR MONDAY LOOKS. SO IF YOU WORK IN THE GARDEN, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I ALWAYS RECOMMEND IS MAKE SURE THAT YOU DON'T HAVE ANY NIGER ENDS ON YOUR ENDS BECAUSE THAT'S HOW YOU CAN ACQUIRE THE MATERIAL. WEAR. GLOVES IS POSSIBLE. IF YOU'RE WORKING WITH THE SORROW, ALWAYS MAKE SURE TO WASH YOUR HANDS WITH A LOT OF SOAP AND WATER AFTERWARDS AND JUST BE VIGILANT THAT YOU SEE OUR MOTHERS AROUND. JUST TAKE THE PRECAUTIONS SO THAT YOU'RE NOT EXPOSED TO THEM. >> AND FINALLY, WHAT IS THE PROGNOSIS OR TREATMENT OPTIONS AS WELL FOR SOMEONE WHO MIGHT BE DIAGNOSED WITH IT? >> YES, JUST LIKE I SAID FIRST STEP IS TO BE DONE TO FIND THAT YOU HAVE THE DISEASE AND SECOND GOING TO AN EXPERT. THERE BY ALL THE TREATMENTS, THE SOONER LIKE EVERY DISEASE. YOU KNOW, THE SOONER YOU CATCH IT, THE COM. I KNOW THAT IT HAS. IT HAS TOO LONG. THESE SO THESE MATERIALS WELL UP FRONT, THE NERVES. SO IF THE NURSE ARE SIGNIFICANTLY DEFECTED AFTER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME, BUT NO TREATMENT AND THERE COULD BE SOME NERVE DAMAGE. BUT IF YOU CATCH IT SOON, IT'S TREATABLE. SO IT'S NOT A PROMISE NOT TO IS NOT A DISEASE THAT IS NOT TREATABLE. THAT HAS NO SOLUTION. IT'S TREATABLE. IT'S AS IMPORTANT LIKE I SAID, TOOK ACTION SOON. >> ALL RIGHT, DOCTOR, ONE COMPOST CLOWER. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY.