LEPTOSPIROSIS – ECUADOR: (GUAYAS) FLOODS
A ProMED-mail post
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International Society for Infectious Diseases
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Date: Fri 3 Mar 2023
Source: Yangtse [in Chinese, machine trans., edited]
https://www.yangtse.com/zncontent/2762953.html
As of 2 Mar 2023 local time, 18 cases of leptospira [infection] have
been confirmed in Ecuador, 16 of which are located in Duran City,
Guayas Province in the west of the country, and 2 are located in
Guayaquil, the largest city in the country.
On 2 Mar 2023, in response to leptospirosis, staff from the Duran City
Public Health Department carried out awareness and prevention efforts
in areas of the city where stagnant water exists. On the same day, the
Guayaquil municipal government also carried out fumigation
interventions in some high-risk areas.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), leptospirosis is a
zoonotic disease caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospira. Humans
become infected through contact with the urine of infected rodents,
dogs, pigs, cows, etc., or through contact with water, soil, or food
that has been contaminated with the urine of infected animals.
Clinical features of leptospirosis include fever, headache, myalgia,
conjunctival injection, jaundice, and general malaise. Liver and
kidney failure and diffuse pulmonary hemorrhage may occur in severe
cases, which is life-threatening.