Hagan, J.E. et al. PLOS NTD. 2016Pau da Lima slum in Salvador, Bahia: social and environmental factors are linked to the transmission of leptospirosisHagan, J.E. et al. PLOS NTD. 2016
Slums are subject to flooding and lack access to basic sanitation, meaning that the risk of contracting leptospirosis there is recognizably high. Yet that risk is not always the same; certain areas can display higher transmission rates for the infection, which is caused by bacteria frequently found in rodent urine. In order to identify factors that increase transmission, researchers from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) in Bahia worked for four years with teams from the United States and England, monitoring 2,000 residents of the Pau da Lima slum, an area where leptospirosis is endemic in Salvador, Bahia. The researchers analyzed the cases of infection that occurred during this period and found that the transmission of leptospirosis is influenced by both environmental and social factors. Families that live close to streams and in areas of lower elevation – where property values are generally inferior – run a higher risk of contamination. The risk is also greater among adults, young adults, and males, especially garbage workers and construction workers, who are more exposed to mud, the soil, and other contaminated material (PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, January 15, 2016).
Republish