Cane Cutters in Westmoreland to Be Sensitised about Leptospirosis

The Westmoreland Public Health Department is partnering with the Pan-Caribbean Sugar Company to sensitise cane cutters in the parish about protecting themselves from leptospirosis.

Leptospirosis is an infectious disease caused by the leptospira bacteria, which can potentially lead to fatal infection of the kidney, liver, brain, lungs or heart.

Among the carriers of the virus are rodents, cattle, pigs, horses, dogs and wild animals.

Health Education and Promotions Officer for Westmoreland, Gerald Miller, told JIS News that the important partnership was forged as cane cutters are among the groups most at risk of contracting the virus.

“The rats will eat the cane, and the cane cutters will come in contact with the rat’s urine and if they don’t wash their hands before eating, they can expose themselves,” he said.

Mr. Miller said the Health Department is in discussions with Pan-Caribbean personnel, who are responsible for managing the cane cutters, and are “hammering out the finer details” of the partnership.

“So, within short order we are going to be going to the factory to sensitise them about safety while cutting the canes, because we don’t want them to end up having leptospirosis,” he outlined.

Mr. Miller added that in previous years, cane cutters had been sensitised by the Health Department.

He also pointed out that the Department aims to sensitise workers from the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWA), as they are also at risk.

“Sometimes I see them collecting the garbage with no gloves on, so that’s another category of workers we intend to target, to see how we can get them sensitised about the prevention of leptospirosis,” Mr. Miller said.

The average duration between exposure to the leptospira bacteria and when signs of the disease appear ranges from two to 30 days.

Symptoms of leptospirosis range from the sudden onset of high fever, severe head and muscle aches, chills, vomiting and jaundice to abdominal pain, diarrhoea and rash.

The disease, if detected quickly, can be cured using antibiotics.

Persons with these symptoms are encouraged to seek medical attention as soon as possible.