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PADDLER HEALTH ALERT ? LEPTOSPIROSIS
This past week a good paddling friend of mine was admitted to West Virginia University Hospital in Morgantown after three days of pounding headaches, severe muscle aches, and a fever of 104 degrees. He thought he had the flu, but initial tests gave early indications of kidney and liver damage. Further testing revealed that he had Leptospirosis, a rare water-borne bacterial infection. Antibiotics were administered intravenously and he was kept in the hospital for several days. He is now cured, and says he would have gotten to a doctor a lot faster if he?d knew about this condition. He also learned that another kayaker, an Emergency Room physician at the hospital, contracted the disease last year.
Leptospirosis is caused by water contaminated with the urine of infected animals. The bacteria have been found in cattle, pigs, horses, dogs, rats, and wild animals. Humans become infected through contact with water, food, or soil contaminated by their urine. The infection usually begins with skin contact, especially via mucosal surfaces like as the eyes or nose, or through broken skin. The bacteria survive in fresh water for as many as 16 days and in soil for as many as 24 days. The time between exposure to the contaminated water and the onset of sickness is between 2 days and 4 weeks. The bacteria can spread to any part of the body but the liver and kidneys are especially at risk.
Leptospirosis is a known occupational hazard for farmers, sewer workers, veterinarians, dairy farmers, and military personnel. It?s known to infect campers, swimmers, waders, and paddlers who use contaminated lakes and rivers. In 1997 a group of Americans who went white-water rafting in Costa Rica contracted the disease. In 1998 a number of athletes developed Leptospirosis after completing a triathlon in Springfield, Illinois. The event included a swim in Lake Springfield. An outbreak also occurred among those competing in Eco-Challenge Sabah 2000 in Malaysia.
My friend traces his infection to a late fall run on the nearby Little Sandy & Big Sandy Rivers. They came up after an intense local storm dropped 2 inches of rain in just over an hour. Many nearby roads were badly eroded. The rain actually fell on a very small area. The Little Sandy and Sovern Run were quite high, but the river at Rockville was moderate and at Bruceton Mills it was too low to paddle. Cattle ranching is a major occupation around here, and cows live on all the surrounding hills.
Symptoms of leptospirosis include high fever, severe headache, chills, muscle aches, and vomiting. It may include jaundice (yellow skin and eyes), red eyes, abdominal pain, diarrhea, or a rash. If the disease is not treated, the patient can develop kidney damage, meningitis, liver failure, and respiratory distress. Some people die; others have no symptoms at all and become carriers of the disease. Treatment includes antibiotics like doxycycline or penicillin, which ideally should be given early in the course of the disease. Intravenous antibiotics are required for persons with more severe symptoms.
Charlie Walbridge
AW Safety Editor
ccwalbridge@cs.com
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