Spike in leptospirosis cases worries Health department in Kerala
Leptospirosis is yet again emerging as the single most disease killing the maximum number of people every year in Kerala.
While the pattern has been the same for the past several years, what has been immensely worrying the Health department is the huge jump in leptospirosis cases and mortality in the last three years.
Despite the early public health alerts and doxycycline prophylaxis strategy initiated by the department or the PCR testing facilities launched for early confirmation of the disease, leptospirosis continues to be a significant cause of mortality.
The disease, which used to spike during the rainy season, is no longer a seasonal one and more cases and deaths are reported even in the dry season too.
Since 2022 when the Integrated Disease Surveillance programme began entering the 'probable' cases and deaths due to infectious diseases such as dengue and leptospirosis in the official records that the mortality due to leptospirosis began standing out.
In 2022, the State recorded 5,315 probable and confirmed cases of leptospirosis and 290 deaths (both probable and confirmed). The very next year, 5,186 cases and 282 deaths were recorded. In 2024, the number of cases jumped to 5,980 and the deaths to 394. This year too, the picture looks quite alarming, with 1,451 cases and 74 deaths recorded till June 9.
Complications
Late diagnosis as well as complications and organ damage due to co-infections of dengue-leptospirosis are often cited as the major reasons for the serious loss of lives. However, the lack of intensive care facilities at the secondary level hospitals in districts is pointed out to be another important factor that could be contributing to the high mortality due to leptospirosis.
Early diagnosis of leptospirosis, a disease which presents as a high febrile illness, myalgia and headache, may not be easy as it is difficult to distinguish it from dengue or other tropical diseases, just by clinical symptoms alone. However, laboratory diagnosis of leptospirosis is also quite challenging. Current serological tests for antibodies, like ELISA, take at least seven days to give results and this totally eludes diagnosis in the acute phase of the disease.
In recent years, the Health department has introduced PCR tests for identifying leptospirosis early. However, these molecular tests are not widely available.
Leptospirosis ranges from subclinical or mild illness (anicteric) in 90%-95% cases and it is a small proportion of the cases — about 5%-10% — which can develop into a serious illness, the prognosis of which might be unpredictable. People sometimes present late at the hospital after self-treatment for days together and the deterioration into multi-organ failure and pulmonary involvement can be rapid.
These patients who develop serious illness require intensive management, but often this is where the public health system falters. A senior doctor in the Health Service points out that the intensive care units in secondary care level hospitals cannot be run 24 x7 because of acute shortage of nursing staff. Patients thus get referred to medical college hospitals, overcrowding the system.
Impossible to eliminate
Public health experts point out that leptospirosis is a risk which cannot be eliminated because over 280 serovars of the bacteria are spread out in the environment, the soil around us and these environmental factors are something over which no human controls are possible.
Many clinicians maintain that focus has to be back on preventing leptospirosis because there are limits to how early the disease can be diagnosed and how well it can be managed.
The Health department has been relying on doxycycline prophylaxis to counter the threat of leptospirosis for years now. Doctors point out that doxycycline has been found to be highly efficient even when one has been exposed to the infectious agent, provided it is consumed as per the guidelines. Yet people tend to ignore the health advisories or do not consume them as per guidelines, officials say.
As leptospirosis predominantly seems to affect those in the low-socioeconomic groups and essentially those whose occupation puts them in constant contact with soil and water — dairy farmers, farmers, animal handlers, manual labourers, gardeners — the message that doxycycline prophylaxis can be life-saving should be consistently and repeatedly communicated amongst these high-risk groups.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
2 days ago
- The Hindu
Campaign to prevent diarrhoea among children under 5 years of age
Puducherry has launched a two-month-long diarrhoea prevention campaign that aims to reach out to an estimated 74,390 children in the 0-5 years age group. Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, led the launch of 'Stop Diarrhoea Campaign' formulated on the instructions of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, at a recent function organised at the Government Girls' Middle School, Thilaspet, a government press release stated. The Chief Minister also distributed ORS packets and zinc tablets to the children in the target age group. The programme, scheduled to go on till July 31, aims to achieve zero child deaths due to childhood diarrhoea as part of a nation-wide intensive campaign. Over a two-month-long drive with pre-positioning of two ORS packets and zinc as a co-packaging to children under 5 years of age to broad base access to treatment, the effort would also promote individual and community-level hygienic practices, such as washing hands thoroughly with soap and clean water, consumption of safe and purified drinking water and maintaining proper sanitation facilities. The Health Department will also ensure that children receive Rotavirus and Pentavalent vaccinations and Vitamin A syrup as per schedule and encourage exclusive breastfeeding for infants for the first six months before introducing complementary feeding from the seventh month. MLAs V. Aroumougame and S. Ramesh, V. Ravichandran, Health Director, S. Govindarajan, Director, National Health Mission in Puducherry, and Health Deputy Directors V. Anandalakshmi (Family Health and Child Health), Shamimunisa Begum (Public Health) and G. Ragunathan (IEC), Kavitha, school headmistress and health officers participated. The 2025 campaign seeks to improve outreach with respect to the 77,884 children in the under-5 age group who benefited from the programme last year, the press note said.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Delhi Health Minister reviews key reforms, calls for critical care blocks in hospitals
New Delhi: Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Singh on Wednesday directed officials to identify suitable spaces within government hospitals for the immediate establishment of critical care blocks , along with addressing other key issues related to the healthcare system. The minister chaired a review meeting with senior officials of the Health Department and announced key reforms aimed at strengthening the public healthcare infrastructure across the national capital, according to an official statement. He said that under the central government's PM-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM), officials have been directed to identify suitable spaces within government hospitals for the immediate establishment of critical care blocks. These blocks are intended to enhance emergency preparedness and improve access to advanced life-saving care, Singh said, adding, "To ensure patients are not forced to move between hospitals, the installation of dialysis machines must be expedited. We are working to increase the number of machines to over 300." In view of the upcoming monsoon season, the minister also stressed the importance of maintaining an uninterrupted supply of essential medicines. "No government hospital in Delhi should face a medicine shortage. Emergency procurement must be prioritised and completed within the stipulated timeframe," he added. The Health Minister further directed all government hospitals to complete registration under the Hospital Information Management System (HIMS) without delay, in accordance with prescribed protocols. He also said there are also plans to set up model health labs in Delhi, which will provide a wide range of essential diagnostic tests for the public. Highlighting the need for mental healthcare, Singh announced that brain health clinics, on the lines of the existing one at Indira Gandhi Hospital in Dwarka, will be established in all districts. "The Brain Health Clinic at Dwarka has received a good public response. We aim to replicate this model to ensure timely treatment for mental health issues across the city," he said.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- The Hindu
L-G V.K. Saxena approves dissolution of Delhi Medical Council over irregularities
Lt Governor V.K. Saxena has approved the proposal of the Delhi government for the dissolution of the Delhi Medical Council over alleged irregularities, officials said on Tuesday (June 17, 2025). He also directed the Health Department to initiate the process for the reconstitution of the DMC and to ensure that the entire process is completed within two months. The Delhi Medical Council is an autonomous statutory body responsible for regulating the practice of medicine in the national capital. It ensures that ethical standards are maintained by private doctors to safeguard patient safety. Officials from the Health Department had sent a proposal to Mr. Saxena seeking control over the body under Section 29 of the DMC Act, 1997. The proposal recommended the dissolution of the council for a specified period. In the note to the department, Mr. Saxena noted that the DMC had unilaterally extended the retirement age of the Registrar from 60 years to 65 years without government approval and further extended his term by one year from December 1, 2024. The DMC, while responding to a showcause notice issued in February this year, said the concerned official had resigned with immediate effect but did not share further details, the L-G note said. Mr. Saxena noted that the DMC "exceeded" and "abused" the powers granted to it by the Act. He concurred with the proposal of the Health Department for the dissolution of the Delhi Medical Council. Mr. Saxena also directed that two ex-officio members of the Delhi Medical Council may continue in the Council and DGHS may be assigned the responsibilities of Registrar for the intervening period.
