Leptospirosis
- Copyright infringement is not intended
Context: More than 1,000 leptospirosis cases are reported from Kerala every year, with 10% of the affected persons dying of it. The cases are showing an upward trend since 2015.
- Humans catch the disease when they come into contact with the urine of infected animals or a urine-polluted environment.
- Farmers or those working in contaminated surface water are more prone to the disease, and wounds and injuries are factors that increase the risk.
- Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease of public health importance causing huge morbidity and mortality in Asian countries.
Leptospirosis
- It is a bacterial disease that affects humans and animals.
- It is caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospira.
- In humans, it can cause a wide range of symptoms, some of which may be mistaken for other diseases.
- Some infected persons, however, may have no symptoms at all.
- Without treatment, Leptospirosis can lead to kidney damage, meningitis (inflammation of the membrane around the brain and spinal cord), liver failure, respiratory distress, and even death.
- A single dose of doxycycline 200 mg tablet is effective as a preventive medicine against leptospirosis, a bacterial infection, if given to the flood-affected within a week of the natural calamity.