Dr. Norman Beatty, an associate professor at the University of Florida College of Medicine, told News 6 that he’s seen a rise in patients who have had contact with armadillos or areas where the animal had been.
“I have found patients coming who have either directly held an armadillo … or have also just manipulated the soil, the armadillos in their garden and burrows into their house, things like that,” he said.
He warned against touching the animal, alive or dead, or ingesting it.
Beatty also told WUSF that there could be even more unconfirmed cases.
“We have a clinic here in Gainesville focused on leprosy, and we are identifying new cases each month that have otherwise been either misdiagnosed or they’ve been having signs and symptoms for years,” he said.