SPECIAL REPORT - LEPTOSPIROSIS
INFECTION TAKES toll on dairy workers Increasing numbers of farm and dairy workers are being infected by leptospirosis, Elaine Fisher reports.
Leptospirosis infections in New Zealand are on the increase and those most affected are dairy workers, other farmers and farm workers, a leading researcher in the field, Dr Julie Collins-Emerson says. “From 2017-2019 there has been an approximate 60% increase in the numbers of human-notified cases compared to the previous five-year period with nearly half of those hospitalised,” she says. Julie is EpiLab Laboratory Manager and Senior Research Officer, Hopkirk Research Institute School of Veterinary Science at Massey University. Disturbingly, she says analysis suggests there could be 22 times the number of lepto cases as those reported. 52
Leading leptospirosis researcher Dr Julie Collins-Emerson of Massey University.
“Nearly half of those who are diagnosed with lepto are still unwell nine months later and experiencing symptoms like chronic fatigue (not unlike the long-haul Covid-type syndrome). “This can take a huge personal toll on people, impacting their ability to work/earn an income, affecting their mental health and indirectly affecting their families/whanau and communities.” The reason infections are on the rise may not be complacency but more a case of people not appreciating that the disease profile can change and therefore not being up-to-date with the latest information. Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | October 2021
