Science | AAAS : reported that Rare rat-related disease shows up in New York City

Liesel Elliott/Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)Rare rat-related disease shows up in New York CityThe New York Times reports that "New York City is investigating three recent cases — one of them fatal — of a rare disease transmitted through rat urine." The rare disease is leptospirosis, caused by a bacterium. But as the world's urban population surges and more people crowd into rat-plagued neighborhoods… the rodents are getting renewed attention from researchers and public health experts. In Pau da Lima, that research has meant tromping through raw sewage and coping with dangerous gangs. Much about the secretive city rat—chiefly the Norway rat, Rattus norvegicus—remains a mystery. The news reminded Science Insider that leptospirosis was the subject of an award-winning feature by Science 's contributing correspondent Warren Cornwall in May 2016.

New York man killed by disease spread by rats

A disease that is commonly spread by rats has killed one man in New York, and sickened two others, CBS New York reported. Residents near the apartment complex in the Bronx told WCBS-TV that the area has been plagued by rats for many years. Two of the cases of Leptospirosis were identified in December, with a third case reported in February. According for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Leptospirosis causes a wide range of symptoms. Leptospirosis is spread through rat urine.

New York City tackles deadly rat-related disease

Although New York City typically gets one to three cases of leptospirosis every year, city officials said it is the first time a cluster of cases has been identified. "This illness can be serious but is treatable with readily available antibiotics," health officials said in a statement. The three cases of leptospirosis occurred in the last two months within a one-street radius of a neighbourhood in the Bronx.



collected by :Lucy William
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