KINGSTON, Jamaica — Residents presenting with symptoms of leptospirosis are being urged to seek immediate medical attention.

National Epidemiologist, Dr Karen Webster Kerr, made the call as the country is seeing an uptick of cases of the illness in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.

Health and Wellness Minister, Dr Christopher Tufton, at a press conference on Friday, said that the country is experiencing a leptospirosis outbreak, following a rise in confirmed and suspected cases across eight parishes.

There have been nine confirmed and 28 suspected cases across the parishes of St Elizabeth, St Catherine, Hanover, Westmoreland, Trelawny, St Ann, St. James and St Mary, and six suspected deaths between October 30 and November 20.

The early signs of leptospirosis are usually mild, flu-like symptoms with high fever, headache, chills, and muscle aches.

More severe symptoms can involve kidney or liver failure or internal bleeding.

Dark or orange-coloured urine or a decrease in the amount of urine produced, is an indication that the kidneys are significantly affected.

Webster Kerr noted that if left untreated, the diseases can progress to bleeding from various parts of the body.

“You can get coughing up of blood, or you can get passage of blood in the stool. You can also get inflammation around the heart, and this presents symptoms such as irregular heartbeat and tiredness, fatigue, shortness of breath, swollen feet and difficulty in lying flat. These are some of the more severe symptoms that you can get with leptospirosis, and by this time you should be in the hospital,” she said.

She noted that for the most part, persons hospitalised are administered intravenous (IV) fluids to maintain fluid balance and blood and blood products if necessary.

“It really depends on which organs in the body are affected, but severe cases usually require more comprehensive treatment. Some persons may have to be treated in high-dependency and even in intensive-care settings,” she pointed out.

Webster Kerr said that there are usually a few cases of leptospirosis at this time of the year, but given the large pools of water that have settled in communities since the hurricane, there has been an increase in cases.

Leptospirosis is linked to contact with large pools of water and soil contaminated by the urine of infected animals, particularly rodents. Heavy rainfall and flooding create an environment where the Leptospira bacteria can survive for weeks to months in fresh water and damp soil, increasing the chance of transmission to humans.

Webster Kerr is urging residents to avoid large pools of water. Farmers have a high degree of exposure, as well as people with cuts and bruises, as the breaks in the skin allow the bacteria to enter the body.

Turning to gastroenteritis, the National Epidemiologist said that “at this time, there is no outbreak”, noting that the number of cases are below or within what is “normally observed” at this time.

As it relates to influenza, she reported that “the graph is showing that we have entered the influenza season, which is normal for this time of the year, but we are not at an alert or epidemic levels for influenza”.

“COVID-19, it’s a low activity level at this time, and there are not many respiratory viruses circulating,” Webster-Kerr added.

Meanwhile, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie, reported that 60 per cent to 75 per cent of health centres in the five parishes most severely impacted by Hurricane Melissa are back to normal operations.

The parishes are Trelawny, St James, Hanover, Westmoreland, and St Elizabeth.

—   JIS