COLOMBO, June 4 (NNN-SLNEWS) – Ten people have died and over 2,000 are infected with rat fever in Sri Lanka, so far this year, local media reports, quoting the Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry.
According to official statistics, 2,198 patients were infected with rat fever till June 1, and the highest number of patients were reported from Ratnapura, in south-central Sri Lanka.
According to the Epidemiology Unit, an increase in the number of patients was reported in Jan, Feb, and May.
In Ratnapura, over 500 patients were reported, while in Kalutara, on the outskirts of Colombo, over 200 patients were reported. The southern town of Galle also reported over 200 patients.
In 2019, a total of 6,021 rat fever patients were reported across the country, and those most vulnerable were farmers, drain workers, canal cleaners, and persons who swam and played in contaminated water.
According to medical officers, the symptoms for rat fever include fever, chills, conjunctival suffusion, muscle tenderness and headache and decrease in passing urine.
Those suffering from these symptoms should seek medical treatment immediately, the Epidemiology Unit said.– NNN-SLNEWS
