Rare disease carried by rats leaves 1 dead, 2 clinging to life
A rare bacterial disease linked to rats — and normally only seen in animals — has killed one person in The Bronx and left two others fighting for their lives, city officials reported Tuesday.
The three cases of leptospirosis were identified in a one block radius of the Concourse section of the Bronx over the past two months, the Health Department said.
“Human leptospirosis cases are very rare in New York City,” explained Demetre Daskalakis, acting deputy commissioner of the Health Department.
“This is the first time a cluster of cases has been identified,” he said. “All three cases had severe illness and were hospitalized with acute renal [kidney]and hepatic [liver] failure. Two cases developed pulmonary hemorrhage and one died as a result of infection.”
The remaining two patients recovered and were discharged, Daskalakis added.
“The Health Department is working with building owners in the affected area to remediate rodent infestations,” he said.
Between 2006 and 2016, there were only 26 cases of leptospirosis reported among New York City residents, or one to three cases per year. The median age was 42.
Now there are three cases in one block — and Bronx officials are pacing.
“This is the first I’m hearing about it,” said Bronx state Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr., who represents the area. “Of course I’m concerned…The infection is putting our community in danger.”
Doctors and medical providers have been urged to report all suspected cases to the Health Department. Symptoms include sudden onset of fever, headaches, photophobia, conjunctival suffusion, nausea, vomiting, and muscle pain — especially in the calf and lumbar areas.
“Others may present with aseptic meningitis and in more severe cases, there is renal and hepatic failure and sometimes pulmonary hemorrhage or hemodynamic collapse along with thrombocytopenia (internal bleeding),” Daskalakis said.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, leptospirosis is caused by a corkscrew-shaped bacteria called Leptospira. The infection thrives in warm, most environments in both rural and urban settings, officials said.
In the city, most human cases are associated with exposure to infected rats, or rodent infested environments. New Yorkers can ultimately become infected through contact with their urine, or from water, soil, or food that has been contaminated with the urine.
The Leptospira bacteria will then enter the body through open wounds or mucous membranes, though person-to-person transmission is rare.
Since 2006, six people have contracted leptospirosis in Brooklyn, eight in The Bronx, seven in Manhattan, four in Queens and one on Staten Island.
Officials said the median age of those affected was 42 years, but people as young as 7 and as old as 80 also contracted the disease. Every case except one of was male, the Health Department reports.
In 2009, a small outbreak of leptospirosis was reported in Brooklyn — but only among dogs. Several pooches died and dozens more were hospitalized as a result.
This year’s spat comes nearly two years after the Bronx was hit with an outbreak of Legionnaires disease, which killed at least 12 people and sickened countless others.