Danger Near Home: The Number of Leptospirosis Infections is Rising in Latvia

All patients have undergone or are undergoing treatment in hospitals. Most of the infected reported possible contact with rodents or the environment that may have been contaminated by their excretions, for example, while working in gardens or utility rooms. Cases of leptospirosis have been registered in Riga, Jelgava, Jelgava Municipality, Cēsis Municipality, Ogre Municipality, Salaspils Municipality, Ropaži Municipality, Bauska Municipality, Sigulda Municipality, Aizkraukle Municipality, Kuldīga Municipality, Alūksne Municipality, and Valmiera Municipality.

In each case, there were individual risks and situations in which a person could become infected.

Leptospirosis is an infectious disease that is transmitted to humans from various animals, especially rodents, but can also be carried by agricultural animals, dogs, and cats. Humans most often become infected through contact with water contaminated by animals, their feces, and objects that are contaminated with the urine of infected animals.

Symptoms of the disease include fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, reddening of the eyes, and general malaise. In more severe cases, complications such as meningitis, bleeding, jaundice, kidney and liver damage, hemolytic anemia, or altered consciousness may occur, according to the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (CDPC).

The risk of contracting leptospirosis increases in the cold season when rodents migrate into human dwellings and agricultural premises.

To prevent leptospirosis infection, CDPC specialists urge people to wear gloves, boots, and protective clothing when gardening, working in the field, or handling animals, as well as to wash their hands thoroughly after contact with animals or wet soil.

If symptoms of leptospirosis appear and there has been contact with potentially contaminated environments and animals, immediate medical attention should be sought.