Overview
- The CDC-Minsa tally, updated Wednesday, lists 1,238 infections nationwide with 175 people in hospital and nine deaths confirmed.
- Loreto reports the most cases at 354, followed by Ucayali, San Martín, Tumbes, Piura and Lima, and every region except Puno has confirmed infections.
- Health officials link the rise to heavy rains and flooding that leave people wading through water and soil tainted by animal urine, especially from rodents.
- The Health Ministry issued an epidemiological alert on March 20 that instructs clinics to intensify surveillance, speed testing and start treatment right away.
- Doctors warn early symptoms can look like dengue, so quick care is vital, and they advise boiling stored rainwater because Leptospira can survive in moist settings for months.