17yr old boy among 4 new leptospirosis deaths

A 17-year-old boy from Bua is part of the four new deaths due to leptospirosis.

He died in the Labasa Hospital on the 1st of this month.

The three other deaths include a 55-year-old man from Vatukoula who also died on the 1st of this month at Lautoka hospital, a 54-year-old from Ba who died on the 4th of this month and a 31-year-old man from Viseisei on who died on the 2nd of this month.

There have been a total of 35 deaths from leptospirosis this year, with 26 in the Western Division, 3 in Central, and 6 in the Northern Division.

The Ministry of Health says there have been 1638 lab-confirmed cases of leptospirosis this year, with 110 new cases.

The Permanent Secretary for Health, Dr. James Fong says they are seeing a decreasing trend in cases in the last week, with national case numbers below the outbreak alert level.

However, case numbers in the Western Division are above the expected number for this time of the year with 672 lab-confirmed cases.

The leptospirosis bacteria is spread to humans through the urine of infected animals, such as cows, pigs, rats, and dogs.

To reduce your individual risk, it is important to understand that exposure to animals, soil, mud, and floodwaters during work or recreational activities increases your risk of infection.

Important prevention measures include wearing full covered footwear at all times when going outdoors, avoiding wading or swimming in flooded waters, using clean fresh water to wash up after exposure to muddy waters, and keeping all food and drinks covered and away from rats. For workplaces, practice good personal hygiene at all times, cover cuts and wounds well, and use protective equipment, especially footwear when in flooded and/or muddy areas.