The outbreak occurred in the northwest region of Kagera country. The disease begins with fever, headache, severe weakness, and a characteristic symptom is a nosebleed.
One of the hypotheses is that the cause of the epidemic was leptospirosis, an infectious disease (Weil’s disease). Last summer, three people died from a similar disease in the southern region of Tanzania, and at least 20 people were infected during this outbreak. Laboratory studies have confirmed that people have contracted leptospirosis. It is a rare infection transmitted through the urine of animals. You can get infected from food contaminated with rats, mice, and Weil’s disease is also transmitted to humans from farm animals (cows, pigs) and pets – dogs. Symptoms of the disease: sharp rise in temperature, headache, nausea, muscle and joint pain, red eyes and loss of appetite. Severe cases of infection cause yellowing of the skin and eyes, swelling of the legs and arms, chest pain, shortness of breath, coughing up blood.
Most cases of the disease are mild, but sometimes serious complications develop, leading to organ failure. In 1-5% of leptospirosis cases, patients cannot be saved, according to the Daily Mail.
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