A CHILD contracted a rare and ‘severe’ infection caused by animal wee after taking a dip in a popular swim spot, a council has said.
Dedham Parish Council in Essex said the local student had contracted Weil’s disease after swimming in an Essex river.
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The child “suffered a severe infection after swimming in the River Stour at Dedham, and has been very poorly”, it said.
In a letter published on its website, the authority said it was a “confirmed case of Weil’s disease (leptospirosis) which can be very serious”.
The Environment Agency said its latest samples “do not suggest any water quality issues” at sites designated for bathing in the river.
The disease is spread in the urine of infected animals, most commonly rats, mice, cows, pigs and dogs.
People can contract Weil’s disease if soil or freshwater – such as water from a river – containing infected urine gets in their mouth, eyes or a cut.
Most people who get Weil’s disease have no symptoms or only experience mild flu-like symptoms.
However, some people can get seriously ill from the disease, according to the NHS.
Symptoms may include high temperature, headache, body aches and pain, stomach ache, feeling or being sick, diarrhoea, red eyes and yellowing of the skin or white part of the eyes.
People who may have been exposed to infected urine and are displaying symptoms are advised to see a GP.
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The River Stour straddles the Suffolk and Essex border.
Dedham Parish Council said it wanted to ensure that both students and parents were aware of the risks involved before choosing to swim at Dedham.
The site becomes increasingly popular during the warmer months, with people travelling to have picnics by the water and swim or use stand up paddleboards or kayaks, the BBC reported.
Dedham Parish Council said the Environment Agency is undertaking monitoring in the river at Dedham.
The parish council added that local environmental group Pace (Practical Actions for Climate and the Environment) Manningtree is “investigating the impact of untreated sewage released into the river by the sewage works at Dedham”.
Meanwhile, the Environmental Agency issued a navigation advisory notice for Dedham and all waterways, asking “river users [to be] especially aware and take sensible precautions in a bid to reduce the risks of infection of all waterborne illnesses”.
What are the symptoms of Weil’s disease?
WEIL’S disease – also known as leptospirosis – is an infection rarely seen in the UK, which is spread through the wee of infected animals.
Most commonly, this includes rats, mice, cows, pigs and dogs.
You can get leptospirosis if:
- Soil or freshwater (such as water from a river, canal or lake) that contains infected pee gets in your mouth, eyes or a cut, usually during activities like kayaking, outdoor swimming or fishing
- You touch an infected animal’s blood or flesh, usually from working with animals or animal parts
Most people who get leptospirosis have no symptoms, or mild flu-like symptoms. But some people get seriously ill.
Symptoms of leptospirosis may include:
- High temperature
- Headache
- Body aches and pain
- Tummy ache
- Feeling sick or being sick
- Diarrhoea
- Redness in the white part of your eyes
- Yellowing of the skin (which may be harder to see on black or brown skin) or white part of the eyes
You should see a GP is you think you’ve been exposed to to infected pee, water, or soil and have the above symptoms.
You’ll usually be given antibiotic tablets to treat the infection. Most people recover in a few days or weeks.
It’s important to finish the course of antibiotics, even if you start to feel better.
Take paracetamol or ibuprofen to relieve any aches, pains or a high temperature.
If you have severe symptoms, you may need to be treated in hospital.
Source: NHS
It urged anyone planning to take a dip in the river to cover up cuts, abrasions and open wounds to prevent infection from entering the body, redressing them if necessary between dips and practising good hand hygiene.
“Be conscious of your entry and exit routes to and from the river and where animals may have been present, as this is the most likely source of infection,” the agency stressed.
It also urged swimmers to “shower as soon as possible if in contact with river water and always sanitise hands, especially before consuming food.”
The case comes amid growing anger over the polluted state of England’s rivers and coasts.
The council said it wanted to warn, “in addition to the risks of Weil’s disease and pollution”, of several other “serious safety concerns” about a site at the river at Mill Lane.
These include a report that a young boy “gashed his foot open” last weekend, with litter including glass bottles and cans regularly left in the area and posing a hazard.
There are also reports of metalwork underneath a bridge where many children jump from, and where the water can be “dangerously shallow”.
Meanwhile, around 16,000 households and businesses in the Brixham area of Devon have been told not to use their tap water for drinking without boiling and cooling it first due to a number of confirmed cases of a waterborne disease caused by a microscopic parasite.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said last week that 46 cases of cryptosporidium had been confirmed and that more cases were anticipated.
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