Public Health officials warn public about leptospirosis outbreak

BANGKOK, 18 January 2016 (NNT) - The Ministry of Public Health has warned people about the outbreak of leptospirosis, advising them to keep their homes clean.

Deputy Permanent Secretary of Public Health Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoenchai revealed that the warning came after 12 people across nine provinces were infected with the disease from January 1-11.

People can contract leptospirosis through open wounds, especially when they come into contact with contaminated water or soil. They are strongly advised to wear boots if wading through a flooded area is unavoidable.

The public is advised to wash their feet after returning home. Garbage should be discarded as often as possible to prevent rats, carriers of the disease, from taking up residence. Food and drinking water should be kept in a sealed container.

Public health officials are trying to raise awareness about the outbreak in a bid to reduce the number of new infections. People are urged to report any related deaths to the authorities, in order to contain the spread of disease

There have been 2,176 cases of leptospirosis reported nationwide and 33 related deaths across 67 provinces. Most of the infections occurred in Yala, Sisaket, Ranong, Kalasin and Loei provinces. The majority of patients were farmers and freelancers.


-- NNT 2016-01-18

but we have drought.......or not?

freelancers?, Its a nasty disease,the Wife's father died from it.

maybe the Government should put a bounty on rats,1 Bhat a tail.

regards Worgeordie

Farmers and freelancers. What are freelancers?

but we have drought.......or not?

No drought when you can flush your toilet.

Farmers and freelancers. What are freelancers?

Day labourers

Farmers and freelancers. What are freelancers?

Day labourers

Had thought about those hanging around Beach Road in Chonburi... ?

Maybe i better stay away from the Beer garden.

isnt the same as "Weil's Disease".

freelancers?, Its a nasty disease,the Wife's father died from it.

maybe the Government should put a bounty on rats,1 Bhat a tail.

regards Worgeordie

They'll put the rats on the BBQ grill.

I know a guy in the US that got this. He's a bit mentally retarded.

I always viewed him as a nice guy, that was always dirty. You could look at him from 100 yards away and you could tell he hadn't had a shower in a month.

After a couple months in and out of the hospital and $40,000 USD later I asked if the doctors had figured out what was wrong with him.

He looked at me with a great big toothy, vacant grin, and said "They told me I don't wash my hands enough".

Farmers and freelancers. What are freelancers?

They walk around in soi Nana, guess it will be quiet there soon.

Easiest way to catch it is open wound contact with rat piss contaminated mud or water. ..... I had it, like the worst flu you can imagin for 6 weeks ....then months to fully recover my strenghth, this was in my early thirties and strong. Easy to avoid unless you are working in mud without good gloves or boots.

freelancers?, Its a nasty disease,the Wife's father died from it.

maybe the Government should put a bounty on rats,1 Bhat a tail.

regards Worgeordie

Can't believe they eat these critters.

Another, much less known way of contracting this disease is by drinking from cans or bottles. How? Pallets of cans and bottles are stored in sheds / warehouses etc. The rats / mice run across the pallets and piss on the tops of the cans / bottles.

Shops and supermarkets and anywhere else do not wash or even wipe the cans/bottles before shelving/storing them so to be safe, 1) wipe the top or 2) pour the contents into a glass first.

This was a problem on a construction job I was on in Australia last year.as the old saying goes, wipe it first.

Edited January 18, 201610 yr by Taffyfromflint

That's why they give you a straw with bottles of beer a 7/11

Edited January 18, 201610 yr by johng

'Garbage should be discarded as often as possible to prevent rats, carriers of the disease, from taking up residence.' What a total joke. What the authorities should be doing is eliminating the carriers.

This is also another reason to control soi dogs because they can spread the organism (via rats) in their urine. Indeed if you have a pet dog have them checked regularly because they too can become infected. The organism responsible is a bacterium of the Spirochete family and as the name suggests it has a corkscrew shape and can survive in soil for as long as 3 months.. Primary symptoms can be very much like a bad cold or flu with high fever etc but it is the second phase that can lead to organ failure. Can only be identified by detecting the bacterium in the system so if one has any doubts about apparent cold or flu symptoms, have blood and urine checked.