This story is from June 3, 2018

Six-year-old Pimpri child tests positive for leptospirosis, 2nd city case this year

Six-year-old Pimpri child tests positive for leptospirosis, 2nd city case this year
PUNE: A six-year-old child from Pimpri tested positive for leptospirosis in the second week of May. Experts at the designated referral laboratory for leptospirosis confirmed this yesterday.
This is the second case of the deadly bacterial infection in Pune so far this year.
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“We have been monitoring the situation in terms of all kinds of seasonal illnesses including leptospirosis.
The surveillance by our health staff is ongoing,” said Pawan Salve, medical health officer, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation.
Leptospirosis cases usually rise during monsoon, say experts. About 20 leptospirosis cases were recorded in Pune city during the monsoon last year — the highest in several years.
Bhavani Peth and Yerawada were worst affected by the disease as the most cases were reported from these areas. A Warje man had also died of the disease last year.
“Leptospira bacteria, once out in the open, can survive in water and soil for weeks or months,” senior microbiologist Renu Bharadwaj said. She is the head of the microbiology department at the state-run BJ Medical College attached to Sassoon General Hospital, which is the referral laboratory for leptospirosis.

Infected people may have a wide range of symptoms or none at all. Symptoms include high fever, severe headache, chills, muscle aches, and vomiting, and may include jaundice (yellow skin and eyes), red eyes, abdominal pain, diarrhoea or a rash.
If not treated in time, patients can suffer from kidney damage, meningitis (inflammation of the membrane around the brain and spinal cord), liver failure, and respiratory distress. Death occurs in rare cases.
“Leptospirosis is grossly under reported, mainly due to a lack of awareness about the disease among medical professionals and difficulties in the laboratory diagnosis of the disease,” said a state health official.
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About the Author
Umesh Isalkar

Umesh Isalkar is principal correspondent at The Times of India, Pune. He has a PG degree in English literature and is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi. Umesh covers public health, medical issues, bio-medical waste, municipal solid waste management, water and environment. He also covers research in the fields of medicine, cellular biology, virology, microbiology, biotechnology. He loves music and literature.

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