It has been reported that Floridians are being warned by local health officials to avoid contact with Florida armadillos following nine people fell ill with leprosy after they came in contact with the leathery armored animals.

In general, only 10 cases of leprosy occur in Florida in a year. The infection leads to nerve damage and disfigurement and was even considered to be causing death. This is as a result of antibiotics that the disease could now be treated and hardly spreads in the US, particularly through coughing or sneezing.

It was found in a genetic study conducted in 2011 that armadillos harbor the bacteria that lead to the sickness in humans, and they could be accountable for a number of infections, but it rarely happens that leprosy spreads like this.

However, this appears to be occurring in Florida. According to Dr. Sunil Joshi, president-elect of the Duval County Medical Society, "New homes are being developed, and we are tearing down armadillos' homes in the process. Now these creatures are coming out in the daytime, and the people who are getting exposed are those working outside".

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Armadillos do not belong to Florida, however the mammals are now common in the state. These animals do not even look adorable. They appear similar to a breed between a rat and a beetle and it is very difficult to trap them.

Florida wildlife trapper Kyle Waltz told that it is particularly true when they try to come out of a cage as they can even spit on one.