What is Leptospirosis?

Leptospirosis is a [simple_tooltip style=’text-decoration: underline;’ content=’A germ’]bacterial[/simple_tooltip] disease. Although some patients have absolutely no symptoms, most patients have fever, headache, lethargy and severe bodyache. Untreated, leptospirosis can spread rapidly and can even result in death.

How does one get this disease?

The germs that cause this disease are excreted in the urine of infected animals, e.g., rats, dogs, pigs, horses. The animals themselves have no symptoms from the disease but excrete the bacteria in their urine for weeks to months.
Humans get infected by either:

• Directly coming in contact with the urine.
• Coming in contact with soil that is contaminated by the urine. The greatest risk is during the monsoon in India

  

  when intense water-logging takes place especially if there is any break in the skin of the part that comes in contact.

Who is at risk?
Certain professions carry with them the risk of leptospirosis like:

• Farmers
• Sewer workers
• People working in abattoirs
• Veterinarians and people taking care of animals.
• Dairy farmers
• Water sports in natural lakes and rivers

Also, children who love to splash about in water during the rainy season!!

What happens if you acquire the disease?
There is a significant [simple_tooltip style=’text-decoration: underline;’ content=’Gap between the germ entering the body and showing symptoms’]latent period[/simple_tooltip] of between two days to four weeks. This is important because you may have undertaken the risky activity some time back and unless this piece of information is given to your doctor, s/he may not be able to diagnose you early enough.

The usual symptoms are high fever with or without [simple_tooltip style=’text-decoration: underline;’ content=’Shivering’]chills[/simple_tooltip], severe bodyache and headache. There may be associated vomiting, red

eyes, pain in the abdomen, rash or extreme [simple_tooltip style=’text-decoration: underline;’ content=’Feeling faint or like collapsing’]prostration[/simple_tooltip].

This is the golden period in which to diagnose the illness. If undiagnosed, the patient may develop jaundice, may pass less urine, or even collapse. At this point, it is an uphill battle, and most people who may die, come in at this stage.

Is there any treatment for leptospirosis?

Treatment depends upon the stage of the disease. In the early stages, rest, antibiotics, and [simple_tooltip style=’text-decoration: underline;’ content=’To relieve symptoms’]symptomatic[/simple_tooltip] treatment is all that is required.
Admission to the hospital / [simple_tooltip style=’text-decoration: underline;’ content=’Intensive Care Unit’]ICU[/simple_tooltip] may be required if the patient has:

• Very severe symptoms
• Late presentation with jaundice or decreased urinary output.
• Severe vomiting preventing the intake of fluids or medicines.

How can you prevent getting leptospirosis?

• Be Aware – Simply by being aware one can diagnose and treat the illness well in time.
• Wear adequate water-proof protection – If one has any cuts, they should be covered with water-proof bandages.
• Wash your hands and any part that comes in contact after handling pets: This seems intuitive but we often overlook it when weSimple washing of hands with soap and water prevents many infectionsare caught in day-to-day living.
• Vaccinate your pets: But keep in mind that the vaccination is not 100% protective
• Prevent rodents from multiplying in your neighborhood:
  • Please do not litter your neighborhood and do not allow others to do so! स्वच्छ भारत अभियान (Clean India Movement) is not only a slogan! We are the direct beneficiaries with a lot of indirect benefits.

    

    Please take this up on a priority basis and prevent spread of other diseases like malaria, typhoid etc. too! Make sure trash cans and compost bins are covered and don’t provide food to rampaging rats.

  • Seal all holes that you see in your neighborhood! Rats mostly live underground and by sealing holes you are preventing access to and fro.
  • Set up traps: If you suspect that there are rats in your house, trap them using mechanical or chemical rat traps.
  • Use disinfectants to clean areas where you suspect rats have been running around: Use household disinfectants like phenyle in the ratio of 1:10 in these areas.