It has been shown that the rainy season is the period of the focus of leptospirosis, a zoonotic disease that will require most of the lives in Kerala.
A study entitled “The impact of extreme weather events and land use on Leptospira distribution in Vembanad Lake and related focus diseases in coastal areas,” published in Water, Air and Springer Nature soil, “Almost half of the reported cases.”
Almost 40% of Leptospirosis cases in Kerala in 2018 were reported in September after the floods.
The highest number of leptospirosis cases was reported 17 days after the flood with the peak. According to scientists, the infection was significantly higher during the Kerala floods in 2018, at 641 infections per 1.00,000 exposure.
“The areas surrounding Lake Vembanad have seen an exceptionally high increase in leptospirosis, with the number of cases in September almost seven times higher than in August, which represents approximately 50% of total cases in 2018,” according to the report.
The finding suggests that leptospirosis persists at water points during all seasons, with cases in the course of rains rise sharply with increasing contaminated contact with contaminated water. The study emphasizes the need for molecular coastal waters supervision to monitor the presence of pathogens and inform targeted public health interventions aimed at preventing transmission from environment to humans, according to scientists.
The finding revealed that Leptospira bacteria are present in Vembanad Lake throughout the seasons. Increased tidal floods and the resulting inund exposure to the coastal population of water contaminated leptospira.
Scientists called for integration of flood water management measures and control measures for rodents into urban planning to reduce the exposure of pathogens, especially in densely populated areas that are susceptible to environmental disorders. They also proposed to strengthen the procedures for the management of waste water, implement the supervision of distance -based pathogens, and the remote sensing and use of soil -based formulas based on GIS to alleviate the transmission of pathogens from environment to humans.
Published – 3 October 2025 20:42 IS IS
