Ecuador is concerned about cases of leptospirosis in the rainy season

This content was published on Mar 12, 2023 – 21:22
March 12, 2023 – 21:22
minutes

Quito, March 12 (EFE). – The Ecuadorian government expressed its concern this Sunday about an unusual increase in leptospirosis cases, compared to previous years, which exceeded fifty in the current rainy season in the coastal and tropical regions of the country.

The Ministry of Public Health reports that so far this year there have been 54 cases of leptospirosis and one infected person died, although he was also suffering from other diseases.

Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health Francisco Perez explained that leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease that is transmitted in stagnant water spaces or through contact with infected animals.

He added that the coastal province of Guayas (especially the municipality of Duran) is the most affected with 31 cases, although infections were detected in neighboring Manabi (9) and in tropical Santo Domingo de los Tsachillas (5), among others. .

According to Perez, during the past week, 18 cases of leptospirosis were detected, while there were only three cases in the same period last year.

The cases were detected after heavy rains in areas with poor sanitary conditions, especially sewers, as stagnant water was polluted by the urine of susceptible animals such as rodents, dogs, cattle, pigs and horses. other wild animals.

The Ministry of Public Health recommended that residents avoid contact with stagnant water, wash their hands frequently, ensure the consumption of well-cooked food, and destroy areas.

The source added that the symptoms of leptospirosis are fever, headache, muscle pain, nausea and vomiting.

In addition to leptospirosis, which can be fatal, other diseases have also been detected this season, such as an isolated and imported case of chikungunya and 3,500 cases of dengue fever, of which 18 are serious.

However, Perez made it clear that these records are in the expected range. EFE

fa/rrt

© EFE 2023. Redistribution and redistribution of all or part of the contents of the Efe Services is expressly prohibited, without the prior and express consent of Agencia EFE SA