linked infection serves as 'wake
SFGATE • • health
Key Points:
- Berkeley has confirmed its first human leptospirosis cases in over a decade, including one fatality, linked to a severely rat-infested recreational vehicle near a homeless encampment.
- The fatal case involved delayed medical care, with vector control crews removing nearly 200 rats from the RV before it was destroyed; another infected individual survived after hospitalization.
- Public health officials are urging medical providers to consider leptospirosis in patients exposed to rats, emphasizing that early diagnosis and antibiotic treatment can prevent fatalities.
- Leptospirosis spreads through contact with infected animal urine, primarily rats, and symptoms range from mild flu-like signs to severe organ failure in about 10% of cases.
- Berkeley has shifted from geographically focused risk zones to broader strategies addressing living conditions that promote rat infestations, while noting the overall risk to residents remains low.