Leptospirosis, a warning.

A relative has just spent time in hospital, being diagnosed and treated for leptospirosis.
This is a disease caused by a bacteria carried in animals commonly rats and mice although also other animals. Transmission is by contact with infected urine.
So if you have rats or mice in your garden wear gloves for gardening, wash hands before eating, drinking or rubbing eyes etc. Get the pests dealt with.
My relative keeps a few chickens there is also the entrance to a culvert near their hedge where rats have been seen over the years.
See Leptospirosis - Wikipedia for more information.

 

I know it's a serious subject, but don't lick the rodents!

 

Unless they're well cooked and preferably deep fried.

 

Oh dear Nigel how awful !! I hope all is going well and wish them a speedy recovery.

 

@Upsydaisy Thank you they are supposed to be moving to a general ward today.

 

Back in 2000 where I worked the river flooded our timber shed, it was a large company and we had thousands of pound of timber stacked in there.
The safety department made the company skip all the timber because they said it was contaminated, Weil's disease was the main worry apparently.
Personally I was always more worried about what the stuff had picked up in places like the Congo or tropical America, but they dumped the lot.

Its a nasty disease I'm sure and one to be avoided.

 

Mmmmm, rat balls with noodles!

 

My cat brought a young rat in and my husband was bitten while we were trying to catch it - a long story- have now invested in two children's fishing nets- anyway, he went to the local minor injuries clinic and they said don't worry unless you get a fever. They used to give you a tetanus injection automatically.

 

My BIL contracted Weils many years ago @shiney. He worked for the NCC as it was back then, and he and my sis were living in Lincoln. I think he got it after they moved back up here though. He worked for Scottish Nat. Heritage, and was often in slightly undesirable locations!
I do remember buying him a sticker for his car decades ago - 'Preserve wildlife, pickle a squirrel'
It gave them all a good laugh. Probably be hauled before the powers that be for that nowadays...


I stress that it referred to the invasive grey ones, not our beautiful, endangered reds.

 

As an ex ICU doctor, I can reinforce the view that Leptospirosis can be a very serious disease. I have seen several deaths caused by it.