How to Prevent Leptospirosis

By eHow Health Editor

Instructions

Step 1:
Practice good general sanitation to control the rat population. Remove brush and trash from areas of human habitation and don't leave food out, especially in parks. Avoid water that may be contaminated with animal urine as this is the primary means of transmitting Leptospira to humans.
Step 2:
Wear protective clothing, gloves and footwear if you have an occupational or recreational risk for exposure to contaminated soil or water. Cover wounds with waterproof dressings.
Step 3:
Identify the animal species that is the infection source. This can be difficult because Leptospira can be hosted by many animals. Infected livestock should be separated from humans with fences.
Step 4:
Provide 200 mg doxycycline every week as a prophylaxis. This treatment is 95 percent effective in high-risk adults although it has not yet been studied adequately in children.
Step 5:
Vaccinate livestock and pets, especially dogs to prevent active leptospirosis infections from spreading. The bacteria itself may still be transmitted and human vaccines are of limited effectiveness since Leptospira has so many different serotypes.

Resources

Learn more about preventing leptospirosis.

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