Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Leptospirosis cases up in district

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The high incidence of leptospirosis this season, especially from the rural areas in the district, has been posing a major headache to the district health administration.

Leptospirosis and dengue cases are reported throughout the year in the district. However, a spurt in leptospirosis, including two deaths early in the year, has put the health officials in a state of bother.

In many cases, co-infection of dengue and leptospirosis has also been noted. The mortality rate of leptospirosis is quite high, at seven per cent because the disease often goes misdiagnosed or is treated at a much later stage.

This year, 74 cases of leptospirosis have so far been reported in the district since January (dengue cases has been put at 71).

What is worrying the health officials is that during the same period last year, there were only 23 cases of leptospirosis.

Public health experts point out that leptospirosis is an environmental disease and that proper waste disposal and rodent elimination are crucial for its elimination. Unregulated construction activities and water stagnation add to the problem.

People who are engaged in cleaning activities, outdoor labour, farming and dairy farming are the ones who are at risk.

One of the leptospirosis deaths reported from Vembayam was that of a manual labourer who had been engaged in cleaning activities.

With the rain setting in, it is important that garbage is not allowed to putrefy on the streets. More important, the cleaning workers of the corporation and local bodies should be given protective boots and gloves as the organism can easily get into their body through some minor cuts on the skin.

Manual labourers who are engaged in cleaning drains should be given protective gear or administered doxycycline as a prophylactic against leptospirosis, officials say.

Senior health officials say they are in the process of augmenting laboratory facilities in the mini primary health centres in rural areas so that both leptospirosis and dengue can be diagnosed early. Through the National Rural Health Mission, lab technicians have already been appointed in many mini public health centres at Chembur, Kunnathukal and Kulasekharam. IgM Elisa test kits for both dengue and leptospirosis have been made available here.

These are validated test kits and very much reliable. Any person who presents himself with high fever, body pain and redness of eyes, should be suspected of having leptospirosis and treatment with penicillin should be started immediately without waiting for a confirmation of the diagnosis through blood tests.

This is because the tests for detecting antibodies might not give positive results in all patients within the first five days of the illness.

Waiting for the results of the blood test to begin treatment for leptospirosis could be suicidal because complications like renal failure, bleeding or respiratory failure could set in fast, leading to sudden death.

Health officials have issued a warning against letting children play in puddles.

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