Leptospirosis outbreak in Tanzania: An alarming situation

• Published in: Annals of medicine and surgery Vol. 80; p. 104347
• Main Authors: Masunga, Daniel Stephen, Rai, Anushree, Abbass, Mortada, Uwishema, Olivier, Wellington, Jack, Uweis, Lama, El Saleh, Rayyan, Arab, Sara, Onyeaka, Chinyere Vivian Patrick, Onyeaka, Helen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01-08-2022; Elsevier
• Subjects: Africa; Correspondence; Leptospirosis; Outbreak; Tanzania; Leptospirosis; Outbreak; Tanzania; Africa
• ISSN: 2049-0801; 2049-0801
• DOI: 10.1016/j.amsu.2022.104347

On July 5, 2022, the Tanzanian Ministry of Health (MoH) announced the re-emergence of leptospirosis after reporting 20 confirmed symptomatic cases and 3 mortalities. Leptospirosis is caused by a spirochete bacterium that lives in an animal's renal tubule and spreads to individuals through contact with contaminated animal urine. Unsupervised agricultural practices, urban development, wildlife infiltration, and a lack of sanitation have all been proposed as potential environmental causes of the present outbreak. The MoH is taking the necessary steps to halt the spread of said outbreak with assistance from the World Health Organization (WHO).
This article examines the risk factors, etiology, number of confirmed cases, and subsequent case index to analyse the epidemiology of the current leptospirosis outbreak in Tanzania's southern Linda region. In light of these findings, this research further details recent recommendations made by the WHO, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and MoH to mitigate such an alarming situation. These recommendations include early detection and isolation, contact tracing, and chemoprophylaxis using doxycycline. The article concludes by outlining suggestions for individuals and governments, including the launch of public awareness campaigns, immunisation, increased surveillance, rapid detection testing, and the installation of suitable purification systems, to help contain future leptospirosis outbreaks.