I'm Sad

My brother is sick. He had (I want it to be past tense) leptospirosis.

Now I guess all of us has a vague idea of what this is, and we probably brush it off because we're confident that it's unlikely to happen to us if we don't walk thru dirty flood water.

BUT this infection doesn't exempt anyone. It can just be a small puddle with the urine of an infected animal (the most common host are the damn rodents) or it can be a small drop of urine on something you unknowingly ingested or sniffed into your system.

I researched about it last night, and I strongly suggest everyone to do the same.

The symptoms are: Fever, headache, muscle pain, redness of the eyes etc.

From what I've read, it can take from a few days to 4 weeks for the infection to manifest.

The fever will usually last 7 days, and sometimes, there will be a relapse. In such instances, the infection becomes more severe, and if left untreated, becomes Weil's disease (which affects the kidneys big time).

Treatment would be antibiotics.

It's a scary thing, more so for tropical countries. I guess the best thing to do is ensure you treat your wounds immediately, avoid wet floors, and be alert when you feel the symptoms above.