Taking a dip in a waterfall or pond under this heat seems like an innocent and rejuvenating activity, but at least two people have died doing so in Malaysia within the past two months.
The Health Ministry is alerting families to be extra careful not to contract the highly infectious leptospirosis disease from natural water spots. In 2016, there have been 14 outbreaks of the rat urine disease, and 2,200 people were infected.
Recreational areas accounted for 31% and 22% of these outbreaks in the last two years. A gulp of water from a river, pond or waterfall, coming in contact with soil, or taking a dip at natural water spots with small open wounds can expose people to the disease, which is responsible for the deaths of 78 people last year.
Some of the symptoms of leptospirosis include intense headache, fever, muscle ache, skin rash, nausea, redness in the eyes, bleeding in the intestines and lungs, irregular heart beat or heart failure, and more.
8 out of 71 natural water spots were found to have traces of the diseases, according to tests conducted last year throughout the country. However, this doesn’t guarantee that sites which tested negative were completely free of the disease.
The risk of leptospirosis increases with poor hygiene and sanitation in recreational areas which may be caused by food scraps left behind by visitors. Rats, and other wildlife then consume the food waste, leaving their droppings and poisoning the water sites.
Please, let’s work together to keep the tourist sites clean and take control over this disease! In the meantime, do avoid leisure activities at potentially contaminated areas, avoid swimming and drinking raw water from natural water sources, and close skin wounds with waterproof bandages or wear protective clothing to avoid exposure.
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