Symptoms
General symptoms
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High fever
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Headache
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Chills
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Muscle aches
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Vomiting
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Jaundice (yellow skin and eyes)
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Conjunctivitis
- Abdominal pain
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Diarrhoea
- Rash
Symptoms when the heart, liver and kidneys are affected
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Fatigue
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Irregular heartbeat, often accelerated heartbeat
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Muscle pains
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Nausea
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Nosebleeds
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Pain in the chest
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Panting (Breathing heavily)
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Poor appetite
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The hands, feet or ankles swell
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Unexplained weight loss
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Yellowing of the whites of the eyes, tongue and skin
Symptoms when brain is affected
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Blotchy rash
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Confusion
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Drowsiness
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Fits
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High fever
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Nausea
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Photophobia (sensitivity to light)
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Problems with physical movements
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Stiff neck
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The patient is unable to speak
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Vomiting
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Aggressiveness or unusual behaviour
Many of these symptoms can be mistaken for other diseases.
Causes
Leptospirosis is caused by a strain of bacteria called leptospira, which is found in certain animals and can spread to humans. Humans can become infected through
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Contact with urine (or other body fluids, except saliva) from infected animals.
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Contact with water, soil, or food contaminated with the urine of infected animals
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Drinking contaminated water.
- It is not spread from person to person, except in very rare cases when it is transmitted through breast milk or from a mother to her unborn child.