Leptospirosis                                                        

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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.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/one-tablet-could-prevent-leptospirosis-after-floods/article37269595.ece?homepage=true