Leptospirosis: Pune faces leptospirosis scare amid dengue, chikungunya wave |

Pune: Doctors in the city are now worried Leptospirosis Cases following the rise of chikungunya and Dengue fever Infections.
In June, the PMC health department had said that the city recorded six cases of leptospirosis in 2019, 11 in 2020 and seven in each of the last three years. But 2024 turns out to be an exception. At Sassoon Hospital Between June and September alone, 275 confirmed cases of leptospirosis were reported, with the highest number of 122 recorded in August.
People can get leptospirosis if they touch water or soil contaminated with urine or body fluids from infected animals, or if they eat food or drinking water contaminated with urine. The infection is caused by the bacterium Leptospira, which can be found in contaminated water or soil.
Floods and contaminated water are the sources of transmission. However, the bacteria enter the body through contact with open wounds. Symptoms of the infection include fever, headache, muscle pain, vomiting or diarrhea. In more severe cases, kidney or liver damage, meningitis, and difficulty breathing may occur.
Earlier this year, the PMC health department had directed the 21 city pharmacies to prescribe preventive drugs such as doxycycline for leptospirosis to anyone who had waded through floods and complained of fever.
Yallapa Jadhav, medical superintendent, Sassoon General Hospital, said: “In addition to the 275 cases between June and September, we had over 1,400 cases of suspected leptospirosis at our OPD and IPD. Cases are bound to increase during monsoon. However.” The numbers this year are worrying. As of June this year, we only had one confirmed and 242 suspected cases of leptospirosis.
Private hospitals in the city report no cases of leptospirosis. Dr. Devashish Desai, a leading infectious disease expert in the city, said: “There are usually not many cases of leptospirosis in private hospitals. Flooding is usually limited to low-lying areas. Rats are the main vector of the infection. The social-economic groups that tend to visit private hospitals are not exposed to such risks.”