Analysing the Outbreaks of Leptospirosis After Floods in Kerala, India (original) (raw)
2023, Research Square (Research Square)
A growing number of studies have linked the incidence of leptospirosis with the occurrence of ood events. Nevertheless, the interaction between ood and leptospirosis has not been extensively studied. This study reviews leptospirosis case in relation to different ood occurrences in Kerala, India. Leptospirosis data were obtained for three years: 2017 (non-ood year) and two years with ooding-2018 (heavy ooding) and 2019 (moderate ooding). The distribution of cases regarding ooding events was assessed through cluster and trend analyses. A statistical comparison was made for cases of each year to ascertain the differences among the cases over ood phases and years. The cases of leptospirosis can be associated with ood events in space and time. The total cases in both 2018 and 2019 increased in the post-ood phase, with the increase in 2018 being more evident. Unlike the 2019 ood, the ood of 2018 is a signi cant spatial indicator for post ood cases. This study shows that ooding leads to an increase in leptospirosis cases, and there is stronger evidence for increased leptospirosis cases after a heavy ood event than a moderate ooding event. Flood duration may be the most important factor in determining the increase in leptospirosis infections.
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