What You Need to Know About Leptospirosis
After the flood brought about by tropical storm Ondoy (international codename Ketsana), the Philippines Department of Health (DOH) recorded 375 confirmed cases of leptospirosis with 28 patients already died from the disease. So, what is this so-called leptospirosis and where does it come from? Leptospirosis (also known as Weil's disease, Weil's syndrome, canicola fever, canefield fever, nanukayami fever, 7-day fever, "Fort Bragg fever," and "Pretibial fever") is a bacterial zoonotic disease caused by spirochaetes of the genus Leptospira that affects humans and a wide range of animals, including mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles. Leptospirosis is transmitted by the urine of an infected animal and is contagious as long as it is still moist. Although rats, mice and voles are important primary hosts, a wide range of other mammals including dogs, deer, rabbits, hedgehogs, cows, sheep, and even certain marine mammals are ...