NewsWhore
11-20-2007, 04:10 PM
The number of reported leptospirosis cases is rising at alarming levels. The authorities report there have been 27 deaths after Tropical Storm Noel. A total of 58 people have died from the disease, with 1,183 possible cases and 135 confirmed cases reported, according to Health Minister Bautista Rojas Gomez, as reported in Hoy. The health authorities have ordered adults and children to be given doses of doxicillin and amoxicillin as a preventive measure against the disease. Although there has been an increase in the number of deaths after Tropical Storm Noel, 31 deaths had already been reported before the storm for the rest of the year. In comparison, 846 cases were registered in 2006 in total, of which 80 were confirmed. Leptospirosis is transmitted through the urine of animals such as dogs and rats in particular. Officials believe that the flooding as a result of TS Noel enabled the disease to spread, as victims have come from areas where flooding occurred.
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