NewsDesk @bactiman63

The intense rains that were recorded in Lambayeque caused the collapse of the drainage system in various parts of the region, as well as the presence of sewage in the streets of the affected neighborhoods. This has resulted in the proliferation of leptospirosis, a disease that is contracted by being in direct contact with the urine of an infected animal or surfaces contaminated with said substance.

Image/CDC

Currently, 20 cases of leptospirosis have been registered in Lambayeque, according to a La Republica report. The specialists of the Regional Health Management ( Geresa ) – Lambayeque indicated that it is the rainwater combined with the drainage that has triggered the appearance of the disease.

In this sense, the regional authorities recommended not to travel through areas that have the presence of sewage , because these could be mixed with the urine of some rodent, which produces the aforementioned disease.

The Pan American Health Organization ( PAHO ) indicated through its web portal: ” Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease with epidemic potential, mainly after heavy rains, caused by a bacterium called leptospiria.”

Giant microbes

Leptospirosis is a disease caused by spirochetal bacteria of the genus Leptospira. These bacteria can survive from weeks to months in urine-contaminated water and soil. It can present with a wide variety of clinical manifestations, from a mild form to a serious and sometimes fatal disease. It could cause Weil’s syndrome characterized by jaundice, renal failure, hemorrhage, and myocarditis with arrhythmias.

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Its symptoms may resemble various illnesses, such as influenza, dengue fever, and other bleeding diseases of viral origin; correct diagnosis (clinical and laboratory) at the onset of symptoms is important. Among the most common symptoms fever and jaundice, yellowing of the skin and eyes.