April 4, 2017.
Leptospirosis is increasingly being diagnosed in France. This disease, transmitted through the urine of animals, which results in a flu-like condition, can lead to the death of the patient if not treated in time.
The leptospirosis situation is endemic in the overseas departments
Just like scurvy, which was thought to be forgotten and which is coming back in some developed countries, leptospirosis is talking about it again. This infection, also known under the name of “rat disease”, in that it is transmitted via the urine of animals, and particularly rodents, is experiencing a real increase in France. An increase which worries the health authorities and which has just been the subject of a special issue of Weekly epidemiological bulletin (BEH).
” Leptospirosis is undoubtedly a public health problem of international importance », Underlines the editorial of this issue, which notes an incidence of 1 case per 100,000 inhabitants in metropolitan France between 2014 and 2015, which represents the highest prevalence of the disease since 1920. But it is in the overseas departments that the situation is described as endemic by the Bulletin, since in Martinique, Guadeloupe, Réunion, Mayotte, New Caledonia and French Polynesia, the incidence of the disease is up to 50 times higher than in mainland France.
Leptospirosis kills 60,000 people each year worldwide
This disease mainly affects people who are in regular contact with water. The main targets are then farmers, breeders, people who work in sewers, but also all those who practice outdoor activities in the water, such as kayaking, fishing or swimming.
The increase in the number of cases leads the BEH to question the reasons for this prevalence and the authors of this analysis highlight two avenues: global warming which is at the origin of phenomena causing more flooding and the ever-rampant urbanization, which is accompanied by the invasion of rodents in the unhealthy districts of the big cities of the world. Largely underestimated, this disease must nevertheless be the subject of special attention by health authorities. According to the study carried out by the authors of this dossier, 1 million cases of leptospirosis are diagnosed worldwide each year. 60,000 of these cases would lead to the death of the patient.
Sybille Latour
