After one British manreportedlycontracted a rare and potentially calamitous waterborne sickness in Warleigh Weir in Bath , local swimmer are being told to take extra precautions before deal a inclination . The perpetrator responsible for is one of the mostcommonand notoriously icky rodents around : rats .
Unseen bacteria hang around in the waters personate a threat at any given time of year , but the odds of people getting inauspicious goes up in the summertime calendar month as more recreational swimmer head to nearby lake , river , and streams to cool down . Of the bacteria present , one calledLeptospiracan lead to an infection called leptospirosis or , in its most knockout form , Weil ’s disease .
harmonize to the National Health Service ( NHS ) in England , leptospirosis is spread via the urine of infect beast like skunk . The bacteria get into through a somebody ’s eyes , mouth , or an assailable deletion or scratch when they make out into contact with septic soil or fresh water .
Public Health Englandreportsthere are around 50 to 60 cases of swamp fever in England and Wales each class , or about one case per million hoi polloi . Infection is rare , and most of the timeresultsin a mild illnesstreatedwith simple antibiotics . However , consequence can be fateful if the disease develops into its petty and more severe form . symptom typicallyoccurbetween three and 21 Day after being infected . The first phase includes flu - comparable symptoms , including fever , headache , emesis , and sometimes a roseola . If the infection reaches the Weil ’s disease phase , those symptoms get more severe and similar to meningitis with jaundice , abdominal pain , diarrhea , kidney or liver failure , and even death from heart , liver , or respiratory failure .
Expertssaythe good elbow room to quash contagion is to be cognisant of the H2O you ’re coming into tangency with . Bacteria are more likely to be present in behind - moving or moribund waters , such as lakes and ponds , as well as expanse near livestock or where rodents are present .
“ Although leptospirosis is a rarefied infection in the UK , we boost swimmers and jock to take caution when entering opened water – including covering cuts with a rainproof plaster , have on appropriate protective vesture , avoid swallowing and/or squish water into your lip , and after swim , clean house your paw thoroughly , ” Dr Smita Kapadia , consultant in communicable disease control at Public Health England East , toldCambridgeshireLive .
