As Monsoon Sets In, Mumbai Has A New Worry - Rise In Leptospirosis Cases: Here's What It Is
The heavy rains also bring its own set of seasonal infections and this year leptospirosis is touring out to be a concern for Mumbai. Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection that spreads through the urine of infected animals.
Maharashtra capital Mumbai is slowly getting out of the grip of COVID-19 that has ravaged the city for well over a year now.
But as the second wave of COVID-19 is subsiding in Mumbai, which is coinciding with the onset of the annual monsoon season.
AFP
The heavy rains also bring its own set of seasonal infections and this year leptospirosis is touring out to be a concern for Mumbai.
Leptospirosis
Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection that spreads through the urine of infected animals.
Several animals that humans have close contact with, including cattle, dogs, pigs, and rodents can be carriers of the bacteria which then spreads through their body fluids like urine to water, soil, or food and can survive there for weeks to months.
AP
In humans, leptospirosis can lead to liver failure, kidney damage, respiratory problems, meningitis (inflammation of the membrane around the spinal cord and the brain), and even death.
Leptospirosis is subclinical or mild in 90% of cases! For severe cases, often thought of as a biphasic illness (see image from Mandell)
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Leptospirosis and water
Leptospirosis is particularly challenging during the rainy season as the waterlogging and stagnant waters can be a major source of the bacteria.
People who walk through stagnant water and have injuries in their feet or body parts are at risk of getting infected.
AFP
BMC issues advisory
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday issued an advisory on leptospirosis following heavy rains in Mumbai.
The BMC has urged people with symptoms like fever with chills, joint pains, rashes, cough, breathlessness, diarrhoea, vomiting, sore throat or jaundice to get medical help, and don't ignore the symptoms.
AP
Heavy rains lashed Mumbai and its suburbs since Wednesday, causing flooding on roads and rail tracks and disrupting suburban train services as the south-west monsoon arrived in the city.
Other than leptospirosis, dengue and malaria cases also spike during the monsoons every year.
Bobins Abraham is the Assistant News Editor at Indiatimes. He has more than twelve years of experience in TV and digital journalism. An avid student of history and geopolitics, he is a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. He writes on environment, sustainability, human-animal conflict and more.
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