Deadly rat disease “found in Phuket’

PHUKET TOWN: Health authorities in Phuket are waiting for the results of lab tests being performed in Bangkok to confirm a doctor’s diagnosis that a Phuket Town man has contracted the potentially deadly disease, leptospirosis. The victim is Thaweeporn Thongterm, 24. He reported to Phuket International Hospital on Monday evening suffering from symptoms which, said Dr Ekachai Singtiraj, were strongly suggestive of the disease. Following the treatment he has received so far, K. Thaweeporn’s condition has improved to the point where he was allowed home today, though he must receive further treatment. Leptospirosis, or Weil’s disease, is caused by the leptospira bacterium, which is normally carried in the kidneys of rats. The most common method of transmission to humans is through contact with rat urine. The disease is rare in Phuket. In the past, most cases in Thailand have been reported in rural areas in Isarn. A number of the victims have died. Dr Boonrieng Chuchaisangrat, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Health Office, told the Gazette that he had only just learned about this case, and that he would be following up in an attempt to find out how K. Thaweeporn had contracted the disease.