Overview
- The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on Monday posted an advisory urging residents to avoid floodwater, wear waterproof boots when exposure is unavoidable, and cover wounds to reduce the risk of leptospirosis.
- Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection spread when water or soil touched by animal urine enters the body through cuts, eyes, nose, or mouth, and the risk rises after heavy rain and waterlogging.
- Doctors say early symptoms—fever, red eyes, severe headache and muscle pain—mimic dengue, malaria and other monsoon fevers, which leads many people to self-medicate or delay care and causes misdiagnosis.
- The Indian Council of Medical Research and clinicians emphasize prompt evaluation and early antibiotic treatment to stop the bacteria from spreading through the blood and causing kidney, liver, lung or brain complications.
- Sanitation workers, rescue teams, construction workers and commuters who walk through flooded streets face the greatest risk and health officials note Mumbai has seen hundreds of cases in previous monsoons, underscoring the need for vigilance.