BENGALURU: Though respiratory and viral illnesses dominate hospital visits this winter, some people have faced rare infections during this period. Sanjay (48), a chartered accountant in Bengaluru, came down with high-grade fever in the third week of December. He took paracetamol, and the fever disappeared. But the next day, the fever resurfaced after six hours. The pattern continued for three to four days until Sanjay and his wife decided to see their GP.
On examination, the doctor prescribed a course of antibiotics for five days along with paracetamol if the fever persisted. Despite the medication, Sanjay’s fever kept resurfacing every six hours. He was then asked to undergo some blood tests to determine the prognosis.
“All my blood tests came negative. The doctor then prescribed a fresh battery of tests while asking me to continue with the paracetamol until the fever abated. It was by then a fortnight since I first had fever, and there were no signs of recovery. I had also lost 5 kg and felt weak. The second row of tests also came negative. On a relative’s recommendation, we saw a specialist in a super-specialty hospital, who, after going through my medical records, asked me to do a Leptospira test to diagnose leptospirosis. It turned out to be positive,” Sanjay told TNIE.
Leptospirosis is a zoonotic infection spread from animals to humans through contact with contaminated water or soil, causing flu-like symptoms. If left untreated, it can potentially lead to severe complications like kidney failure or meningitis (Weil’s disease).
While Sanjay is now on the road to recovery, drinking directly from a can may have been the source of the Leptospira bacterial infection. Cans pass through warehouses, trucks and store shelves and, in the process, can be exposed to rodent urine and other contaminants.