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5 minutes agoAuthor: Gaurav Tiwari

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Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is suffering from a deadly disease Leptospirosis. Bhagwant Mann had gone to Fortis Hospital in Mohali for a routine checkup. There the doctors suspected tropical fever and their blood test was done. Leptospirosis has been confirmed in this.

Leptospirosis is a rare and serious disease, which is spread by infection with bacteria called Leptospira. Leptospira is commonly found in the urine of many animals such as cows, horses, dogs, rats and pigs. Initially its symptoms are flu-like, which can later turn into the fatal disease Weil syndrome.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every year one million cases of leptospirosis are registered all over the world and out of these, 60 thousand people die. However, the CDC estimates that the actual number of cases of this disease may be much higher than the recorded figures. This is because due to low awareness it is an under-reported disease.

so today ‘Health Form’ I will talk about leptospirosis. You will also learn that-

What are the symptoms of leptospirosis?
What is the treatment for this disease?
What are the measures to prevent this?

What is leptospirosis?

Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection. In this, a bacteria called Leptospira can affect all the organs of the body through our blood stream. This bacteria usually spreads by working around animals, bathing or drinking water in rivers and ponds and while gardening. In most of the cases only 3 reasons are responsible for this.

Direct contact with urine or reproductive fluids of infected animals.
Exposure to contaminated water or soil.
Eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water.

See the graphic to see the order in which it spreads to humans and affects body organs.

What are the symptoms of leptospirosis

Dr. Nitin Rathi, pulmonologist at Dharamshila Narayana Hospital, Delhi, says that usually the symptoms of leptospirosis are like normal flu. It causes high fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach ache. Sometimes these symptoms can be severe in some people. In severe cases, symptoms like jaundice start appearing in 3 to 10 days.

In severe cases the white parts of the eyes start appearing yellow. Stomach pain persists and loss of appetite begins.
Due to this, when the lungs are affected, there is difficulty in breathing. Blood starts coming with cough.
When kidneys are affected, the amount of urine reduces significantly and black colored urine appears.
If symptoms of this bacterial infection appear, immediately consult a doctor because leptospirosis can cause internal bleeding and organ damage. Overall, its infection can prove fatal at any time.

Caution is necessary against leptospirosis

According to a study published in the well-known journal Nature, cases of leptospirosis have increased rapidly in India in the last few years. Many reasons have been cited behind this like climate change, increase in temperature. Most of the cases of this bacterial infection are found in hot and humid areas only.

What is the treatment for leptospirosis?

Dr. Nitin Rathi says that any bacterial infection is treated with antibiotics. Antibiotics are also given in case of leptospirosis. Its infection is treated by dividing it into two stages. If the infection is mild then the symptoms are monitored by giving low dose medicines. Many times people recover without any treatment.

In severe cases, it is necessary to admit the patient to the hospital. In this, it is difficult to control the patient’s symptoms and antibiotics have to be given through drip.

Apart from antibiotics, what other medicines will be required for its treatment, it depends on which organs of the patient have been affected due to the infection.

Prevention from leptospirosis is important

Dr. Nitin Rathi says that there is a need for awareness about this disease. If people know and understand about this then they will also start adopting preventive measures. If work is done at the prevention level then there will not be much difficulty in future.

What are the chances of surviving leptospirosis infection?

Dr. Nitin Rathi says that most people survive leptospirosis. In most of the cases, there are no symptoms or very mild symptoms, which resolve on their own after some time. Its symptoms are so similar to flu that people keep considering it as flu.

Only 1% of people infected with it have to face serious conditions (Weil syndrome). If treatment is not done on time, it is often fatal. However, if treatment is received on time, most people recover.

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