Weil's Disease

[MaryN]

After reading a few articles about collection of water, and with the prevalence of articles in the Press concerning the increasing invasion of rats, I thought I would sound a warning with regard to Weil’s Disease, or Leptospirosis as it is sometimes called. This is a particularly nasty disease caused by exposure to rat’s urine from rats infec ted with the bacteria Leptospira. In the more fortunate cases humans can suffer from mild flu-like symptoms, to more serious cases of organ failure, which in the worst case can result in paralysis or death.

Weil’s Disease is not a common disease in the UK, but if you are in contact with contaminated water then you could be at risk. That brings us onto the prepper-related subject of water collection. It is very important that any water you collect is secured from the invasion of rats. Rodents are not particularly sanitary animals at the best of times, and a bacteria-infected urine-dribbling rat sipping from your pond, pool, ditch, stream or lake could put you in the risk bracket. It is therefore very important to wear protective clothing if you are about to wade around in ditches or any source of freshwater. Stagnant water is obviously a more likely source of Weil’s than fast-flowing rivers or streams, but any freshwater source can be a problem. Make sure that any scratches or minor injuries that have been dunked in suspect water are thoroughly disinfected.

I realise that water collection and storage for future usage is part of the prepper creed to ensure survival, but Leptospira is not normally removed by water filtration. it is however killed by boiling the water.

Stay safe.