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Leprosy did not exist in the Americas before colonization by modern Europeans [121] nor did it exist in Polynesia until the middle of the 19th century. [122] The causative agent of leprosy, M. leprae , was discovered by Gerhard Armauer Hansen in Norway in 1873, making it one of the first species of pathogenic bacteria identified.
Although leprosy, or Hansen's Disease, was never an epidemic in The United States, cases of leprosy have been reported in Louisiana as early as the 18th century. The first leprosarium in the continental United States existed in Carville, Louisiana from 1894-1999 and Baton Rouge, Louisiana is the home of the only institution in the United States ...
In 1985, leprosy was still considered a public health problem in 122 countries. The 44th World Health Assembly (WHA), held in Geneva in 1991, passed a resolution to eliminate leprosy as a public-health problem by the year 2000 – defined as reducing the global prevalence of the disease to less than 1 case per 10,000.
Despite cases still being recorded in the U.S. and Florida, the overall numbers have decreased the past few years: In 2022, 136 leprosy cases were reported in the U.S., mostly in Florida, Texas ...
Leprosy still occurs in more than 120 countries, and there are over 200,000 new cases reported every year, according to the World Health Organization.
But treatment options for leprosy do exist. "Diagnosis is usually with biopsy of skin or nerve," Dr. Fox says. "Treatment is with a combination of antibiotics for usually two years of treatment."
Spinalonga on Crete, Greece, one of the last leprosy colonies in Europe, closed in 1957. A leper colony, also known by many other names, is an isolated community for the quarantining and treatment of lepers, people suffering from leprosy.
Cases of leprosy have risen in Florida and the southeastern U.S. over the last decade, according to a new report from the CDC. Leprosy may now be endemic in Florida, report suggests Skip to main ...