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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

The state of leprosy: increasing trends of Hansen’s disease in Florida, USA, 1996–2025

  • Max Kevane-Campbell1
  • Siti Setyawati Mulyono Putri2
  • Dylan Buck3
  • Raja Idris4
  • Thomas A. Wichelhaus5
  • Jorge Cervantes6
  • Nils Wetzstein
6 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Internal Medicine II, Infectious Diseases, Goethe University Frankfurt, University Hospital, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
  2. 2Mycobacterial Infection Research Unit (MIRU), Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
  3. 3Institute of Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, Goethe University Frankfurt, University Hospital, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
  4. 4Department of Science, Valencia College, Orlando, Florida, United States of America
  5. 5Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States of America
  6. 6Molecular and Experimental Mycobacteriology, Research Center Borstel, Borstel, Germany
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Abstract

Leprosy, also known as Hansen´s disease (HD), is a chronic infectious disease which mainly affects the skin, the peripheral nerves, mucosa of the upper respiratory tract, and the eyes. According to the National Hansen’s Disease Program (NHDP), there were 225 new cases of leprosy reported in the United States of America (USA) in 2023, with Florida ranking as one of the top reporting states. Using publicly available data, we analysed the overall trend of leprosy in Florida from 1996-2025. A total of 359 confirmed cases of leprosy was reported in the state during the study period. The annual incidence rate increased from 0.01 per 100,000 population to 0.15 per 100,000 population, showing a fifteen-fold increase over the 30-year study period. With a total of 113 cases reported for the study duration, Brevard County was observed to be a hotspot for confirmed leprosy cases and locally acquired infections represented the largest category of cases with known acquisition mode. Author summary: Leprosy is an infectious and neglected tropical disease which primarily affects the skin, the mucosa of the upper respiratory tract, and the peripheral nervous system. Often considered as a “medieval disease”, leprosy is still widely distributed globally, including the United States of America, to this day. In this study, we analysed 30-years’ worth of data regarding confirmed leprosy cases reported in the state of Florida and analysed the overall temporal, spatial, and demographic trends observed. Results obtained from the various analyses showed that there has been a gradual increase of leprosy cases occurring in the state of Florida, with case numbers increasing from 2 cases in 1996 all the way to 36 cases in 2025. Additionally, we found that Brevard County reported the highest number of cases and locally acquired infections represented the largest category of cases with a known mode of acquisition in the 30-year period. Our overall findings emphasize that local clinicians should remain vigilant for leprosy in suspected cases, especially in areas which reported a high number of confirmed cases, as well as how public awareness should be maintained for the occurrence of locally acquired cases within the state.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{kevanecampbell2026state,
  title = {{The state of leprosy: increasing trends of Hansen’s disease in Florida, USA, 1996–2025}},
  author = {Max Kevane-Campbell and Siti Setyawati Mulyono Putri and Dylan Buck and Raja Idris and Thomas A. Wichelhaus and Jorge Cervantes and Nils Wetzstein},
  journal = {PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases},
  year = {2026},
  month = nov,
  doi = {10.1371/journal.pntd.0014820},
  url = {https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0014820},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - The state of leprosy: increasing trends of Hansen’s disease in Florida, USA, 1996–2025
AU  - Max Kevane-Campbell
AU  - Siti Setyawati Mulyono Putri
AU  - Dylan Buck
AU  - Raja Idris
AU  - Thomas A. Wichelhaus
AU  - Jorge Cervantes
AU  - Nils Wetzstein
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/11/06
JO  - PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
DO  - 10.1371/journal.pntd.0014820
UR  - https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0014820
AB  - Leprosy, also known as Hansen´s disease (HD), is a chronic infectious disease which mainly affects the skin, the peripheral nerves, mucosa of the upper respiratory tract, and the eyes. According to the National Hansen’s Disease Program (NHDP), there were 225 new cases of leprosy reported in the United States of America (USA) in 2023, with Florida ranking as one of the top reporting states. Using publicly available data, we analysed the overall trend of leprosy in Florida from 1996-2025. A total of 359 confirmed cases of leprosy was reported in the state during the study period. The annual incidence rate increased from 0.01 per 100,000 population to 0.15 per 100,000 population, showing a fifteen-fold increase over the 30-year study period. With a total of 113 cases reported for the study duration, Brevard County was observed to be a hotspot for confirmed leprosy cases and locally acquired infections represented the largest category of cases with known acquisition mode. Author summary: Leprosy is an infectious and neglected tropical disease which primarily affects the skin, the mucosa of the upper respiratory tract, and the peripheral nervous system. Often considered as a “medieval disease”, leprosy is still widely distributed globally, including the United States of America, to this day. In this study, we analysed 30-years’ worth of data regarding confirmed leprosy cases reported in the state of Florida and analysed the overall temporal, spatial, and demographic trends observed. Results obtained from the various analyses showed that there has been a gradual increase of leprosy cases occurring in the state of Florida, with case numbers increasing from 2 cases in 1996 all the way to 36 cases in 2025. Additionally, we found that Brevard County reported the highest number of cases and locally acquired infections represented the largest category of cases with a known mode of acquisition in the 30-year period. Our overall findings emphasize that local clinicians should remain vigilant for leprosy in suspected cases, especially in areas which reported a high number of confirmed cases, as well as how public awareness should be maintained for the occurrence of locally acquired cases within the state.
SN  - 1935-2735
ER  -