Leprosy, a disease often associated with medieval times, is making a comeback worldwide. In the UK, experts have identified one local species affected: red squirrels. Health bodies report a post-pandemic rebound in detected cases globally, largely due to the resumption of active screening and routine healthcare checks after COVID. The risk to the general public remains very low, but certain regions are seeing notable increases.
Record Cases in Florida
In the US, Florida has become a national focal point, with cases reaching a modern record of 36 diagnoses in 2025. Central Florida accounts for a significant portion of those numbers. In Europe, new case data submitted to the World Health Organisation shows reported cases rising from 18 in 2015 to 79 in 2024.
India, Brazil and Indonesia still carry the biggest burden, accounting for nearly 80% of new cases worldwide. Leprosy, formally known as Hansen's disease, is caused by a slow-growing bacterium called Mycobacterium leprae. It is not highly contagious and typically spreads through moisture droplets from the nose and mouth after prolonged, close contact with someone who has an untreated infection, not from casual contact like a handshake.
Symptoms and Treatment
Symptoms can include pale or reddish patches of skin that lose feeling, lumps on the skin and muscle weakness. It can take five to 20 years after exposure for signs to appear. The disease is completely curable with a routine course of antibiotics, and early treatment prevents permanent nerve damage or disability.
In Florida, the nine-banded armadillo is known to naturally carry the bacteria, and touching the animals or soil around their burrows may pass it to humans, Florida Today reported. However, a growing number of patients report no armadillo contact and no international travel, raising fears the bacteria could be present in the local outdoor environment, potentially affecting people who spend long hours outside, such as landscapers.
UK Situation and Red Squirrels
In the UK, the picture is different. The last known local, native case was recorded in 1798, according to the Dreadful Revival of Leprosy. Between 2015 and 2024, only 56 cases were diagnosed across the entire UK, and every one was linked to travel or extensive time spent in countries where leprosy is more common, as per Microbiology Society. UKHSA data indicates there has been no confirmed person-to-person spread within the UK since 1954.
Scientists have detected a strain of leprosy bacteria in British red squirrels, the BBC reported. However, there is zero evidence it has jumped from squirrels to humans in modern times. The red squirrel remains the only species in the UK affected by the bacteria.
