New cases of “lepto” discovered at GPHC

Jan 11, 2009 News

Both cases are children

There have been two new suspected cases of leptospirosis, adding to the five that Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy had identified in a recent press conference.
Dr Ramsammy said that the Ministry of Health is working assiduously to lessen the risk of persons contracting the disease. Both of the cases are reportedly from Bachelor’s Adventure, East Coast Demerara, and the cases are said to be children.
Certain parts of the East Coast of Demerara have been under flood waters for the past eight weeks, and this increases the risk of people contracting the dreaded disease.
According to Minister Ramsammy, the flooding is significantly depleting the coffers of the Health Ministry. The minister further revealed that, at the end of the month, the ministry is expected to spend some $120M.
He, however, noted that 3,500 persons were treated, but the question being asked by many is “Can the ministry reach everyone in the flood-affected areas?” That question is yet to be answered by the Ministry of Health.
The ministry treated persons in the affected areas for skin rashes, acute respiratory infections, colds, and diarrhoea.
Sources told Kaieteur News that there is a much higher level of persons who have contracted the disease. It was further revealed that there were some 40 patients, but this number has not been confirmed by the Ministry of Health or the Georgetown Hospital.
What causes leptospirosis?
The disease is caused by a spirochaete bacterium called leptospira, the disease leptospirosis is transmitted by the urine of an infected animal. Although rats, mice and wolves are important primary hosts, other animals, like cows, sheep and other farm animals, and certain marine mammals, are able to carry and transmit the disease as secondary hosts.
The habitats that usually carry the infective bacteria include muddy riverbanks, ditches, gulleys and muddy livestock areas where there is regular passage of either wild or farm animals. There is a direct correlation between the amount of rainfall and the incidence of leptospirosis, making it seasonal in temperate climates and year-round in tropical climates, which include Guyana’s.
The disease is transmitted by the semen, blood and urine of the infected animal. Humans become infected with water, food, or soil containing urine from these infected animals. This may happen by swallowing contaminated food, or water through skin contact.
However, the disease is not known to spread from human to human, and cases of bacterial dissemination in convalescence are extremely rare in humans.
Leptospirosis is common where water is stagnant, and animals and inhabitants are known to promote the entry of the bacteria. Early detection of the disease helps save lives. Leptospiral, as it is called by scientists, has an array of symptoms, and some infected persons may not have any at all. The disease starts with “flu like” symptoms, which include (fever, chills, myalgias and intense headaches).
The first phase resolves, and the patient is briefly asymptomatic until the second phase starts. This is usually characterized by meningitis, liver damage (causing jaundice) and renal failure. This is mainly because the symptoms are mostly misdiagnosed.
Symptoms of leptospirosis include high fever, severe headache, chills, muscle aches, and vomiting; and may include jaundice, red eyes, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, and/or a rash. The symptoms in humans appear after a four-to-4-day incubation period.
Leptospirosis treatment is a relatively complicated process comprising two main components — suppressing the causative agent, and fighting possible complications.
Aetiotropic drugs are antibiotics, such as ascefotaxime, doxycycline, penicillin, ampicillin and amoxicillin.
There are no human vaccines.

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New cases of “lepto” discovered at GPHC

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