Leptospirosis
Leptospirosis is a water-borne bacterial disease that can have serious human health impacts. Leptospirosis is transmitted through water that is contaminated with the urine of infected animals. Of the many animal carriers of the bacterium, those associated with piggeries include pigs, rats and dogs. Humans and contract the disease through contact with contaminated water, especially through minor skin wounds and mucous membranes of the eyes and nose. Conditions in the Laura and nearby villages, with the hot and humid weather, coupled with current piggery water and waste management practices and the constricted spatial distribution of piggeries within the village interface, has the potential to lead to a serious human health impact, such as a leptospirosis outbreak. After a 4–14 day incubation period Leptospirosis begins with non- specific symptoms such as those found with the flu (fever, muscle pain, vomiting, or headaches). Leptospirosis is easily misdiagnosed due to the common nature of the initial symptoms and most likely leads to an under-representation of the actual number of cases in the area. The patient usually recovers from these initial symptoms to later develop more serious signs and disease characterized by renal failure and possibly meningitis and liver damage.