As if we didn't have enough to worry about, this just in from the World of Science: Armadillos can give you leprosy.
Federal researchers (your tax dollars at work) have established that one of the major causes of leprosy is contact with armadillos.
OK, admit it: You've always kind of suspected as much.
Seriously, though, this research does raise some serious questions, not the least of which is, "Why?" Did a bunch of bored scientists just decide one day to test the hypothesis? Or is this just one study of many exploring the prevalence of zoonotic diseases? We worry that, somewhere, a medical researcher is rubbing turkeys on people to see if they--the people, not the turkeys--will contract gout.
The second and far more disturbing question is, What are these people doing with the armadillos to contract leprosy from them in the first place? Despite its biblical reputation, leprosy is actually rather difficult to catch. If you're in the same room with a leper, even if you shake his hand (or what's left of it--sorry), you are highly unlikely to contract the disease. Casual contact will not lead to infection. Which suggests that people are engaging in, um, more-than-casual contact with armadillos.
Hey, draw your own conclusions.
The good news for people is that leprosy is quite curable, as long as its caught in its early stages (once you've lost more than 20% of your extremities, it may be too late). Should you find yourself, then, breaking out in unusual lesions after a fun wrestling match with your armor-plated friend, just do the walk of shame over to the emergency room as soon as possible.
The good news for armadillos is that today's report sends them soaring up the list of adorable-things-that-could-potentially-kill-you, right past machete-wielding Japanese babies. They do, however, still trail suicide kittens.
And no, WOS, you can't have one!
Solipsistography
No comments:
Post a Comment