MAINTAIN
ONCE again, leptospirosis made headlines when 40 people were quarantined at Tanah Merah Hospital in Kelantan recently after a man died of a suspected viral infection.
The Health Ministry said it detected leptospirosis in three of 12 victims with respiratory infection symptoms and all of them had attended a family gathering in Kajang two weeks earlier.
The latest incident has evoked memories of a similar case at the Lubuk Yu waterfall in Maran, where eight people succumbed to the bacterial infection, also known as kencing tikus (rat urine), after they joined a search-and-rescue (SAR) mission to locate a drowning victim in 2010. The recreational forest was closed for three months.
Although the authorities have yet to confirm the source of the infection in Tanah Merah, Health directorgeneral Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah was quoted as saying that maintaining good hygiene was importance in preventing the spread of such diseases.
Since leptospirosis was gazetted as a disease under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases 1988 in December 2010, the number of cases had increased between 2011 and 2015, before it dropped last year.
The Health Ministry’s statistics showed that in 2012, there were 2,268 cases, 2012 (3,665), 2013 (4,457), 2014 (7,806), 2015 (8,291) and last year (5,284).
The statistics also revealed that in 2011, 55 people died of the disease, 2012 (48), 2013 (71), 2014 (92), 2015 (78) and last year (52).
According to the ministry, most cases were related to the victims’ jobs, and among those in the highrisk categories are workers in the agricultural industry, waste management sector and animal farms, pet handlers and those involved in SAR and recreational activities.
Those with chronic diseases and open wounds should be cautious since they are more susceptible to the bacterial infection, which is mainly caused by an unhygienic environment.
Many hawker sites, drains and backlanes are infested with rats, which consume leftovers and rubbish thrown indiscriminately in the areas.
Unkempt recreational areas will also attract rats, whose urine can contaminate the water and soil.
Due to the seriousness of the leptospirosis infection, which has affected 31,771 people and claimed 396 lives in the past six years, I urge local authorities to declare an all-out war against rats and ensure that their areas are free from rat-breeding grounds.
Food operators must keep their premises clean and seek help from the local authorities and pest-control companies to destroy the rodents.
The Health Department must cooperate with other agencies and local authorities to educate the public on the importance of maintaining personal hygiene and the cleanliness of their premises and the environment.
At the same time, those who suffer from symptoms related to leptospirosis, such as fever, headache and muscle pain, must seek immediate treatment.