Risk of rat fever and miliasis: Advice to avoid walking barefoot in rainwater
Tamil Nadu: The Health Department has warned that waterlogging on roads due to heavy rains in several districts of Tamil Nadu is increasing the risk of leptospirosis and milioidosis infections.
They also urged people not to walk barefoot in rainwater. Regarding this, they further stated: Leptospirosis is a disease spread from animals to humans by bacteria called Leptospira, a spiral-shaped microbe.
It affects the kidneys and lungs. The disease is transmitted to humans through the urine of dogs, pigs, and cattle, and especially through rat feces. Infected animal feces can get into rainwater. If you step on it, the infection can enter your body.
This disease usually occurs in large numbers after a rainstorm. More than 100,000 people are affected by this disease each year. To avoid this, avoid walking barefoot in stagnant rainwater.
Miliosis: Similarly, a bacterial infection called miliosis also spreads during the rainy season. This disease is caused by the soil-borne bacterium Farcaulteria pseudomi.
People with wounds on their feet or body can become infected with milioidosis by walking in dirty water, drinking contaminated water, or breathing air contaminated with the bacteria.
Symptoms begin within the second week of the bacteria entering the body. The main symptoms include high fever, chills, headache, cough, and difficulty breathing. If not treated properly, vital organs such as the kidneys, liver, lungs, bones, and brain can be affected.
People with weakened immune systems, poorly controlled diabetes, liver and kidney disease, thalassemia patients, cancer patients, HIV patients, and lung disease are at higher risk of leptospirosis and milioidosis. Therefore, health department officials said that awareness should be maintained regarding this.
