Thiruvananthapuram: Devastating flash floods and landslides have hit Kerala. The after-effects are even worse. The health department has asked people to be cautious, issued warnings in five districts of Kerala.
Leptospirosis is a rare bacterial infection we get from animals. It’s spread through animals' urine, especially from dogs, rodents, and farm animals.
Leptospirosis warning has been issued in five districts in Kerala including Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Kannur.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) had earlier warned that infectious diseases, including plague in flood-prone areas are a possibility since many animals and human bodies were not buried properly during the floods.
The common symptoms are fever, headache, nausea, muscle pain, and excessive tiredness. While 25 cases of leptospirosis have been confirmed in the State so far, doctors said not all cases were a consequence of the floods.
As many as 1,408 cases were reported in 2017 and there were 80 deaths. There were 28 deaths from 66 cases in Malappuram alone. In 2016, there were 1,710 cases reported and 35 deaths.