UM Surabaya Lecturer Explains the Dangers of Leptospirosis and Its Impact on the Body

• 04 Mar
• 2022

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UM Surabaya Lecturer Explains the Dangers of Leptospirosis and Its Impact on the Body

• Article
• By Uswah Sahal
• Health
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During the rainy season, the body will be more susceptible to disease as a result of changes in temperature in the environment. During the rainy season, types of microbes will multiply more easily and more easily enter the human body.

The condition of the immune system that is not prime will make bacteria and viruses grow even more to cause disease, so it is important for a person to maintain body condition and even need to increase the immune system.

Ira Purnamasari Lecturer at the Faculty of Health Sciences (FIK) Muhammadiyah University of Surabaya (UM Surabaya) explained that several diseases tend to be easily transmitted and spread this season, including leptospirosis, typhus or typhoid fever to Dengue Haemoragic Fever (DHF).

“Leptospirosis is a disease caused by leptospira bacteria with the main reservoir being rats. Urine from rats infected with leptospira is the most pathogenic source,” said Ira Friday (5/3/22)

He explained that the main medium for transmission of this disease is through water and soil that has been contaminated with rat urine, entering through wounds on the skin. Most of these cases occur during the rainy season because leptospires can survive in water for several months.

"The entry of bacteria into the body causes a sudden increase in body temperature accompanied by chills, headaches, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, in the advanced phase symptoms of coughing, chest pain, to coughing up blood and decreased consciousness appear," he explained again.

Apart from that, he also added that another disease to watch out for is typhus or typhoid fever or an infectious disease of the digestive tract caused by the bacterium Salmonella typhi.

Transmission of Salmonella typhi into the human body can be through oral transmission, namely food contaminated with Salmonella typhi bacteria, secondly through hand-to-mouth transmission, namely unhygienic hands that contain Salmonella typhi directly in contact with the food eaten, thirdly through the transmission of feces, namely where individual feces containing Salmonella typhi into rivers or close to water sources which are consumed as daily necessities.

"The entry of bacteria into the digestive tract causes body temperature to fluctuate, headaches, muscle aches, upper right abdominal pain, feelings of discomfort in the stomach, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, to the occurrence of intestinal bleeding, shock, to decreased consciousness," he added.

He further explained that there is one more disease to watch out for, namely DHF or DHF, Dengue Haemoragic Fever, a disease caused by the dengue virus which is transmitted by Aedes Aegepty and Aedes Albopticus mosquitoes.

“DHF cases increase during the rainy season because mosquitoes need water to reproduce. The entry of the dengue virus into the body causes a sudden rise in body temperature, weakness and lethargy, headaches, muscle, joint and bone pain, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain," he explained.

The specific results of the diagnostic examination are a decrease in platelet levels which causes bleeding of the gums and nose, the appearance of red spots on the skin, leading to shock, loss of consciousness to death.

At the end of his statement he also advised that in order to prevent the occurrence of these diseases, it would be good for the public to remain vigilant by doing a number of things such as getting used to washing hands with soap before eating and after defecating, consuming food and drinks that are kept clean.

"It is important to carry out the 3M movement (bury, drain and close), and always maintain the cleanliness of the surrounding environment and avoid playing in water during floods, especially when you have skin wounds," he said.