This is why you should never touch an armadillo

[SakuraAsranArt]

Somewhere underground an armadillo is making a video about how armadillos should never ever touch humans because we're riddled with leprosy

[lonnarheaj]

Armadillos are not "riddled" with leprosy, but they do have the propensity to carry the disease, although NOT all armadillos carry leprosy. If the need arises to tough an armadillo, then wash your hands thoroughly. Duh.

[YelloLibra]

Leprosy is a curable disease. The currently recommended treatment regimen consists of three drugs: dapsone, rifampicin and clofazimine. The combination is referred to as multi-drug therapy (MDT). As a pharmacist….I have prepared this antibiotic combo. Also, it takes at 6 months even up to a year to cure.

[lrichardson]

Only the nine banded armadillo carries lepracy

[jojomang]

This video claims that leprosy started in armadillos, which it didn't. Apparently WE gave the (nine-banded) armadillos leprosy several hundred years ago, and we've been passing it back and forth ever since. From an article on the topic: "the animal likely first acquired the organism incidentally from early American explorers." Leper colonies clearly existed in parts of the world where zero contact with armadillos (which only live in the Americas) occurred.

[slowbro]

One species has the ability for leprosy
The 9 banded armadillo

[mattw]

It's exceedingly rare in armadillos, not super easy to catch from them even if infected, and also extremely easy to treat now a days.

[genemesser]

I have never heard a more densely packed mass of misinformation

[elizabethschaer]

I hand fed four baby armadillos at a wildlife rehab center. Many, many people had contact with them. None contracted leprosy.
Because they always have four identical babies they are useful for leprosy research.

[britishbanananugget]

Actually, even if you encounter the only species that carries leprosy (the nine banded armadillo) it’s very unlikely to pass it on unless you exchange bodily fluids, which I doubt is anyone’s plan.

[antoineb]

From what I tell by looking it up online (I may be wrong) armadillos are a new world species and leprosy has been present in the old world for thousands of years. If both these things are true then how could the desease have originated in armadillos and have been present in the old world before the 1500s?

[NickTheShark_]

Not to be that person but actually you would have to eat a raw liver of a certain species of armadillo that is caring leprosy to get it

[williamblansett]

Wrong leprosy came from Eurasia. Armadillos caught leprosy from humans believed to be due to similar body temperature.

[riffraftmusic]

Although leprosy is 100% curable now, it has to be caught to be treated. If you are in armadillo country, you might help yourself by knowing the early signs of leprosy.

[Iamcornholio]

Armadillo roadkill is the state animal of Texas. Sad but true

[deadbrother]

You just dont like rolly-pollie doggos

[sebcalabro]

Only 9 banded ones have it, and you can only get it by eating them lmao

[BMAN-ebjk]

I mean, if it was an armadillo bred in captivity, probably a different story, but obviously, you would be interacting with animals at your own risk.

[matthewensign]

Isn't it in their liver or something? Touching it won't do anything...

[mariahfoundinchrist]

Good thing I watched the rest of the video because in the beginning I thought how bad I wanted to hold an armadillo