On their websites On Monday, the National Institute of Public Health (NIPH) asks travelers who are in the Occitaine region of France to be aware of the possible risk of infection by close contact with water.
Through the notification system to the European Institute for Communicable Disease Control, ECDC, FHI has received information that there is an ongoing outbreak of the bacterial disease leptospirosis in the region.
“All those infected have been canoeing or swimming in the rivers Argenssous and Vicdessos and this is believed to be a common site of infection,” writes FHI.
The Occitaine region is located in the south of France.
Furthermore, FHI writes that humans are usually infected by contact with water, including sewage water and bathing water that is contaminated with animal urine.
“Leptospirosis is an acute bacterial disease that is transmitted from animals to humans. In most cases, the disease has a mild course, but in exceptional cases a serious illness can occur “, it says about the disease on Norwegian Health Informatics their pages.
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