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Florida county sees small, rare increase in leprosy cases

By Danielle Haynes

DELAND, Fla., Feb. 27 (UPI) -- Volusia County, Fla., has experienced a small but unexpected increase in the number of cases of leprosy in the past five months.

Three people have been diagnosed with the bacterial infection, two of whom got the disease after coming into contact with armadillos.

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Leprosy -- also known as Hansen's disease -- mainly affects the skin, nerves and mucus membranes causing skin lesions, growths and thick or dry skin, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. It can also cause severe pain, muscle weakness or paralysis and eye problems.

Because it can take between two and 10 years for symptoms appear, health officials don't think the recent increase in cases indicates a larger wave of infections.

But Brevard County, Fla., has also seen a recent increase in leprosy cases -- 18 in the past five years.

Barry Inman, an epidemiologist for the county, told ABC News the county normally sees one case per year.

"Compared to past history, it is significant and they are looking at it," he said of the county health department.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration, between 1979 and 2009 there were between 80 and 450 new cases each year.

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There are fewer than 10 in Florida each year on average. Prior to the recent cases, Volusia County only had one new case in the past decade.

Health officials said the disease isn't very contagious and the public shouldn't be overly concerned.

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