Health Ministry cautions public on rat fever

by Ananda KANNANGARA

[email protected]

The Health Care and Nutritional Ministry yesterday said nearly 200 Sri Lankans have died due to leptospirosis, commonly known as rat fever during the past few months and warned the public especially the farmer community who are affected by this fever to seek medical treatment only from Government hospitals.

Senior medical specialist, Dr. Paba Palihawadana told a conference in Colombo last week that over 6,400 persons infected with rat fever have been reported from various parts in the country during the past six months.

She said nearly 83 per cent males in the country are victims of rat fever.

She said all hospitals, including state owned health care centres, especially in rural hospitals have been provided with adequate injections and other medicines to treat patients who come almost every day.

It is reported that the rat fever epidemic during the past ten years has claimed about 1,100 lives in the country. Rat fever is an infectious disease caused by pathogenic bacteria and live not only in the kidneys of rats but also in the kidneys of pigs, cattle and wild mammals.

According to the latest statistics, nearly 4,500 persons from agricultural areas were reported victims of the disease during the past five years.

Health Ministry statistics also reveal that the majority of patients with leptospirosis in Sri Lanka are reported mainly from districts such as Anuradhapura, Colombo, Ratnapura, Gampaha, Kegalle, Kalutara, Hambantota, Matale and Galle.

A senior doctor of the Kalubowila Teaching Hospital said the main symptoms of the disease are high fever, flu, chills, muscle tenderness, headache, jaundice and decrease in passing urine.

He also advised people, especially farmers who work in paddy fields, marshy lands and canals to contact the PHI or MOH in the districts and obtain special tablets while seeking medical advice.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry has launched a program to deploy medical personnel in the areas and educate the farmer community about the disease and how to get rid of it.