Author: rrmch

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Leptospirosis – The Rat Fever that’s Killing People in Kerala Post Floods

Kerala floods have caused a havoc in kerala washing out villages and towns and post the floods the fear of epidemics is hovering already. Nipah the deadly virus had taken as may has over two dozen lives some months back and now it’s another fever called the rat fever of leptospirosis that has been causing deaths in Gods own country.

Last month a total number of deaths registered in Kozhikode has risen to 17 due to leptospirosis of which 6 have been confirmed and rest are suspected to be due to rat fever. To avoid further spread and even as an immediate measure, 85 bed isolation ward is setup in Kozhikode general hospital as well as government hospitals in Koyilandy, Vadakara and Feroke. Meanwhile low lying Alappuzha and three north-central districts reported a total of nine casualties due to rat fever.

Leptospirosis

The rat fever attacked as many as over 559 people across the state last month already of which 229 were confirmed cases of Leptospirosis.

Here’s a look into the condition, its causes, symptoms, treatment and preventive measures.

Leptospirosis is a condition caused due to a rare bacterial infection caused by a bacteria called Leptospira interrogans and spreads through the urine of animals like rodents, dogs as well as farm stock. These animals never show any symptoms but act as carriers while the organism resides in their kidneys. Although it is not a life threatening disease like Nipah most of the times, there is a possibility of severe leptospirosis which can lead to a fever that returns. When the fever returns, the condition is called Weil’s disease and requires hospitalization because it can have serious symptoms like chest pain, legs and swollen arms.

You can easily contract the bacteria if you are anywhere near to the place where the carrier animal has peed as the germs can invade the body through the scratches, dry areas and open wounds besides genitals, nose or mouth. Human to human infection can only spread to intercourse or breastfeeding.

So, if you are even around animals a lot then you are at high risk of it. Hence, people like veterinarians, underground or sewer workers, farmers, military persons and veterinarians are at high risk of contracting the bacteria. People who are into adventure activities like rafting, camping or swimming.

Symptoms
The symptoms may include fever that can spike up to 104 degrees besides Muscle ache, Headache, Vomiting, Jaundice, Skin Rash and even jaundice.

Diagnosis
The doctor will recommend a blood test and check for antibodies in the blood. Your body will produce antibodies to fight this bacteria but if you have had this condition before, it can give a false positive report. Hence, another test needs to be done for confirmation purpose after one week. The doctor could also advise you to go for a DNA test to be more precise, but it can get expensive to go for this test.

Treatment and Prevention
The treatment course runs across a period of one week where the doctor could prescribe ibuprofen tab for fever and muscle pain besides antibiotics like doxycycline and penicillin. A more serious condition like meningitis, lung issues and kidney failure might require you to get admitted immediately.

As they say prevention is always better, to avoid getting into this mess called Leptospirosis, stay away from domestic animals, live-stock and wild rats.

 

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How Rural India is a Bearing the Brunt of Non Communicable Diseases

A doctor practicing in the rural area was taken by surprise to find numerous cases of non communicable diseases amongst men and women in and around rural areas. While a 55 year old male suffered from from a heart attack, a 53 year old female was suffering from depression and anxiety. Other cases included that of chronic back pain and more, that too from a tribal village that is situated in one of the most backward districts of the state.

The question that doctors are pondering on is how are rural and tribal areas populace experiencing the health issues that are commonly associated with lifestyle of urban people. The fact is that the pattern of India’s health structure is making a paradigm shift and this has been so over the past 15 years. The fact came to light when the Government of India released its report on the death causing diseases. Further more, the figures of the report of 2010-13 showed enormous growth revealing 47% of the deaths were due to NCD’s and 30% due to Communicable Diseases. This significant rise of 7% undoubtedly indicated taking a keen interest in the healthcare issues of rural population and Non communicable diseases more so.

Well, even though as per statistics the life expectancy of people in urban as well as rural India remains the same more or less, the health issues related to aging seems to crop up in rural areas as well and not just the cities. Having said that, there are challenging dealing with rural NCDs compared to that of cities. Here’s a look through a few –

  • Unavailability for diagnosis and treatment in rural areas.
  • It can be expensive and economic issues like poverty amongst families
  • Unavailability of advanced professionals needed for treatment of NCD’s
  • Data Collection issues around Rural NCD’s hampers working on the problem further in a systematic way.
  • In India compared to developed countries NCD is common among the younger generation
  • Awareness is one of the main reasons NCD’s in rural region is not gaining the kind of attention it needs to get.

Well, NCD in rural India is no myth today as can be seen from the figures and hence the policy makers and government need to focus on devising and implementing solutions to deal with this growing healthcare issue of rural India.

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White Spots on Nails – Myths An More

There is one common myth around the condition where many people believe that white spots on nails are a sign of deficiency of calcium only. Apparently, the fact is white spots are not simply because of calcium or zinc deficiencies, there’s more to it. Scientifically known as Leukonychia, white spots on nails is a common condition. The main causes of this condition include either and injury to the matrix of the nail or an allergic reaction due to substances like nail hardeners, nail polish or sometimes even a mild infection.

White Spots on Nails

Also known as milk spots or white nails, Leukonychia refers to a condition where the complete nail turns white in color. Here’s a run-down the different types and sub types of Leukonychia –
Leukonychia totalis – As the name suggests, it causes white discoloration of the complete nail.
Leukonychia Partialis – This type causes a partial discoloration of the nail and is further divided in three main types.

  • Leukonychia Punctata – In this type, small white spots are seen on the nail.
  • Leukonychia Transverse – Also known as mees lines, striate or transverse leukonychia condition is responsible of causing horizontal white lines running parallel to the lunula. 
  • Longitudinal Leukonychia – In this type, a white band surfaces down the nail. 

Leukonychia is also divided based on the type of injury into two types.

  • True Leukonychia – This is caused when there is an injury or damage to the nail. The white area of this nail is not affected by any pressure and grows as the nail does.
  • Apparent Leukonychia – This is caused when the bed beneath the nail is affected. This white area does reduce under pressure and does not grow as the nail does.

Treatment – The treatment is based on the diagnosis and if the doctor finds any uncertainty then you need to undergo a few tests –

  • Nail Biopsy – A tissue from the mail is removed and sent for testing
  • Mycology – This test involves the examination of nail clippings and fungi
  • Blood Test – This test is done to check the presence of a systematic disease

The white spots that are caused without any injury are harmless and grow out over time naturally. While if injury or trauma is the cause, then the doctor decides on the course of treatment.
Prevention
Yes, white spots can be prevented from resurfacing by taking care of your nails and being cautious. Some of the preventive measures are –

  • Avoid excess use of nail paint or polish
  • Cut your nails on a regular basis and keep them short
  • Use a moisturizer after washing nails to avoid dryness
  • Avoid contact with substances that cause irritation

Well, generally white spots or Leukonychia is harmless in nature but only rarely can it be a sign of an underlying serious condition. Hence, if you find one, it is advisable that you see the doctor immediately.