Leptospirosis

Subject : Science and technology

Section: Health

Concept :

About the disease:

It is a potentially fatal zoonotic bacterial disease that tends to have large outbreaks after heavy rain or flooding.
The disease is caused by a bacterium called Leptospira interrogans, or leptospira.
It is a contagious disease in animals but is occasionally transmitted to humans in certain environmental conditions.
The disease has been called “ilijwara” in Kannada and “elipani” in Malayalam, both meaning “rat fever”.
Host: The carriers of the disease can be either wild or domestic animals, including rodents, cattle, pigs, and dogs.
Climate: The disease is more prevalent in warm, humid countries and in both urban and rural areas.

Magnitude of the disease:

It affects an estimated 1.03 million people every year, killing around 60,000.
The burden of leptospirosis is expected to increase in the future as the urban poor population in many tropical countries increases even as sanitary infrastructure falls short.
In India, thousands of people are affected by leptospirosis every year.
Within India, studies have found that leptospirosis is more common in the south, although this could be due to the region’s better healthcare and thus better disease detection.

Challenges: