One third of leprosy cases in America are caused by armadillos!
If a person eats an infected animal, they are extremely likely to catch the disease. Leprosy is a disease which can cause skin sores, nerve and muscle damage and, occasionally, limbs falling off.
It is easily treated nowadays with antibiotics, however in biblical times it was notorious and one of the biggest killers in the middle east at the time. The widespreadness of the disease may have dipped over the years, but the highly contagious infection still exists today.
However, the average worldwide number of cases annually is only around 250,000, which is much lower than other diseases. Today, lepers can join colonies away from society to help prevent the spread of infection and give them support and specialised treatment. While leper colonies were historically feared and looked down on, modern day ones are much nicer places.
