Florida Facing Outbreaks of Measles and Leprosy Due to Nutty Surgeon General

 Leprosy is on the rise again in the United States, particularly in Florida, concerning disease specialists.  According to the World Health Organization, about 200,000 cases of the disease occur every year in 120 countries worldwide and are often associated with contact with armadillos.

The U.S. is experiencing cases creep upwards, with the number of infections across the country more than doubling over the past decade, both in people exposed to armadillos and those who aren't.

According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year, there were 159 new cases of leprosy in the U.S. in 2020, around a fifth of which were in Florida. Of the Florida cases, 81 percent were found in central Florida.

Leprosy is one of the oldest recorded diseases, having infected humans for thousands of years. It primarily affects the skin, peripheral nerves, mucosa of the upper respiratory tract, and eyes, and causes symptoms including skin lesions, which may be lighter or darker than the surrounding skin and may lack sensation.  Deaths from the disease are uncommon, but complications related to the disease can still occur, particularly if it is left untreated or if treatment is delayed. These complications may include secondary infections, nerve damage leading to disabilities, and other health issues.

"We currently do not know what is driving the reported increase of leprosy cases in Florida," Mutapi said.  The only known animal-human transmission route of the disease is from armadillos, and interaction with armadillos is often associated with cases of leprosy. However, many people also catch it from other humans, or even without human-human interaction, mystifying researchers.

The number of cases seen in Florida has led experts to fear that the disease is becoming endemic in the state. This essentially means that it has established a consistent presence within a certain population or geographic area, being regularly found at a relatively stable level.

Florida's nutty Surgeon General isn't exactly inspiring confidence about the State's ability to combat the outbreak.  Earlier this month, Joseph Ladapo, the incompetent appointee of Ron DeSantis, was heavily criticized for his response to the measles outbreak-- telling parents they are allowed to send unvaccinated children to school.

Ladapo's advice allowing parents or guardians to decide about school attendance directly contradicts the official recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which calls for three weeks of quarantine for anyone without a history of past infection or immunization.  Ladapo's office has previously advised health care professionals avoid mRNA Covid-19 boosters based on idiotic conspiracy theories that these shots alter human DNA and can cause cancer.  To be clear-- none of that is true.  COVID vaccines and boosters are perfectly safe.

Measles has been eradicated in the U.S. since 2000, but the anti-vax movement has led to a surge in measles case nationwide. 

"The surgeon general is Ron DeSantis's lapdog, and says whatever DeSantis wants him to say," Dr. Robert Speth, a professor of pharmaceutical sciences at Nova Southeastern University with over four decades of research experience, said.  "His statements are more political than medical and that's a horrible disservice to the citizens of Florida," Speth added. "He's somebody whose job is to protect public health, and he's doing the exact opposite."

Ladapo was also discovered to have personally altered data in a 2022 study of Covid-19 vaccines to incorrectly claim that they can put young men at high risk of cardiac illness or death.