Health officials in Westmoreland raise leptospirosis concerns after flood rains

Western Bureau:

With sections of Westmoreland swamped by floodwaters over the weekend, the health authorities in the parish are once again warning residents to take precautions against leptospirosis, a potentially deadly bacterial disease often associated with rats, but which can also be transmitted by other animals.

Doctor Jepthroy Thompson, a medical officer who works in the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department at the Savanna-la-Mar Hospital, explained that the illness can show up days after exposure.

“Usually, sometimes patients have eye pain and red eyes, like the eyes become red initially. Sometimes the eyes can also become yellow. Those are the initial symptoms, usually. And usually, symptoms typically start about five to 10 days after you have become infected,” Thompson said.

He noted that exposure often happens in subtle ways people might overlook.

“... The persons who are exposed usually have a history of being exposed to eating something that has been infected by rats or by mice,” he said. “Sometimes they have canned products, like a canned drink, (and) you just open it and drink it without washing off the top… and so you become exposed to the rat urine.”

The illness, he cautioned, can progress quickly if left untreated.

“The most serious condition it can result in is death. But the initial progressions… it can affect the liver, it can affect the kidneys and cause kidney failure. It can affect your brain and your mucous membranes, causing meningitis; it can affect the heart, causing myocarditis; it can affect the neurological system, that can result in coma.”

Though no recent cases have been reported at the hospital, Thompson stressed that early detection is key.

“It is very important to seek early medical help because the earlier it is, the easier it is. Once you present early… we can do treatment as it relates to the actual leptospirosis. And there’s a great chance of earlier recovery if it’s identified.”

He added that prevention is just as important as treatment.

“Any food you are going to eat, you wash it properly with clean, running water so that you can decrease the chance of contact. And if you have wounds, you cover them. You have to tell the kids not to play in the dirty water.”

While many residents tend to associate leptospirosis only with rats, Steve Morris, chief public health inspector for Westmoreland, stressed that the threat is much broader.

“Most times, you find this bacteria actually in dirty water or stagnant water,” Morris explained. “The concern really is not for rats, because for a lot of things people specify leptospirosis with rats. However, the concern … is that it’s one of those diseases that we call occupational disease. So, for instance, farmers are prone to that; cane cutters, they are prone to that because they are in these fields with their animals. So [it is] not just the rats that can transmit leptospirosis; you also have horses, cows, pigs, goats, cats and dogs.”

He pointed out that these animals can carry and spread the bacteria just as easily.

“Most times it may be a concern that they may have picked it up from a rat, but if you have animals, dogs or goats and cows in that water as well, it heightens the chance of them getting it. So yes, rats transmit it, but we also have to be concerned [about other] animals as well. That’s a challenge with leptospirosis.”

BACTERIA CAN ENTER THROUGH WOUNDS

Morris also explained that the bacteria can enter the body through wounds or even the soft skin between the toes when wading in floodwaters.

“What happens [is that] the bacteria is what we call one of those spirochetes. It’s like a screw form, so it burrows into the soft part of the flesh; or if there’s any wound, it goes in and infects you.”

Preventive measures, he stressed, are practical and accessible.

“Make sure that you don’t walk barefooted in the water. You wear your water boots ... whatever it is, to protect yourself. Also, your food; remember you can also get it from ingesting contaminated food, so protect your food from rats or even from your pets.”

For Gerald Miller, health promotion and education officer for Westmoreland, the concern is not only the disease itself, but how casually some residents treat floodwaters.

“Walking through these waters is a potential risk for the contraction of leptospirosis,” he warned. “Especially now, we are in the hurricane season when we get heavy rain. It’s a common practice in this parish, we see people wading through these puddles of water, oblivious of the potential risk. You will see children sometimes frolicking in the dirty water without recognising that is a serious risk.”

In terms of public education, Miller said the department utilises community outreach.

“We go to different community areas and church groups, citizens’ associations, and speak to them about that. When we have floodings like that, we are out there on the air, telling people what to do.”

He emphasised that while hospitals are prepared to treat the illness, the goal of public health officials is prevention.

“Our aim, basically, is to prevent you from getting it in the first place. We do a lot of education, we talk to persons, we go out into communities.”

Prevention starts with hygiene, clean water, and avoiding floodwaters. As stated by Thompson, it is important that persons wash fruits before eating, keep food in sealed containers, vaccinate pets and animals, and above all, stay out of stagnant or contaminated water.

“If you see one rat around the yard, you can assume that you have leptospirosis, so you need to treat that. Cover wounds, wash your fruits, don’t play in floodwater. The earlier you act, the better your chance of recovery.”

mickalia.kington@gleanerjm.com