Weils Disease

Question: After getting rid of rats in the shed how can I clean it to make sure any traces of Weil's disease have gone? Rats have been breeding in the kids playhouse. I've just cleared everything out plus all the droppings, but am afraid to let the kids play in there in case of Weil's disease. Is there a product I can use to clean it which will get rid of all bacteria and potential infections? I don't think normal disinfectant will do the job. Any help will be greatly appreciated - thankyou.

Answer: Isopropyl alcohol will do the trick. Bleach is fine, but damages the surfaces that are sensitive to it. Rubbing alcohol does not stain, bleach, or damage most surfaces. Just remember, it is very flammable, and needs to evaporate before anyone uses the playhouse. There is no leftover residue after it evaporates. Good luck, and set up a fan to help it evaporate. Good luck.

Question: My son wants to play canoe in the canal but there is risk of weil's disease? My son wants to play canoe in the canal but there is risk of weil's disease? in london there is lots of activities such as canoe kayak in the canal... but they say that there is a rare risk of WEIL'S disease, because of the rats it might be in the canal... what should i do? can i let him go there... or it is a very serious disease? is there a vaccine?

Answer: I don't think there are vaccines for weil's disease but from reading this it seems that your son would be at almost no risk from canoeing in the canal http://www.kescrg.org.uk/Weils.htm It should be mentioned that there have been no recorded incidents of Weil’s Disease involving either British Waterways or the Canal Restoration movement. This does not remove the need to be aware of the disease nor to take the basic precautions against infection. If you want more statistics for peace of mind try this link http://www.rospa.com/leisuresafety/infor…

Question: could i have weil's disease? i went fishing with my sister and i put a hook in the water tried to put it into the bait then it went in my finger. that was 3 days ago and now i have a dry cough a blocked nose and i'm getting headaches. have i got weil's disease or have i just got a cold and its a co-incidence that i'm ill at this time.

Answer: Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection carried in rat’s urine which may contaminate water in lakes, rivers, etc. The bacteria does not survive long in dry conditions or salt water. The risk of infection is greater in stagnant or slow-moving water but cases have occurred in swift moving streams and lowland rivers. There is an enhanced risk where flash floods have washed out rat runs. The infection is caught by direct contact with the urine or polluted environment. Bacteria enter through skin abrasions or via eyes, nose or mouth. The usual incubation is 2 to 12 days. Usually a ‘flu’ like illness occurs which resolves in 2-3 weeks. There may be fever, severe headache, pains in the back and calf and prostration. A few cases develop Jaundice, when the condition is known as Weil’s disease. Each year an average of 3 canoeists contract Leptospirosis. It is very rare and it’s deterioration into Weil’s disease even more rare. Weil’s disease is however, a serious ilness and must be swiftly diagnosed and treated. Death may occur in about 15% of Weil’s disease cases (i.e. jaundiced patients) but death without jaundice is virtually unknown. Antibiotics during the first few days help in limiting infection. Many cases recover without specific treatment. If you think you may have the infection go to your doctor and explain that their may be a risk of leptospirosis. The diagnosis is by clinical suspicion. Blood tests can rarely confirm the illness in time to affect treatment but are needed to subsequently confirm it.

Question: I think I caught Weil's disease? 3 days ago, I went sailing to the Thames river. The instructor waned us about Weil's disease. He said that it's unlikely to catch, but possible. The sypthoms are flu-alike and should appear 2 to 30 days from infection. Now, I woke up today morning with a bad headache and blocked nose... I went to my mum straigh away and asked if we could go doctors and check if it's alright, because I don't want liver problems (that's what Weil's causes...), and I have the sypthoms of Weil's... She just laughed at me and said that's because I have been sailing and I'm ill now. Tomorrow I'm flying to Belarus... They don't really have idea how to cure it or anything :l What should I do, I need to get checked very quickly. I have: headache blocked nose dizzy sometimes tired eyes How can I convince my mum to take me doc's first think in the morning? What should I do if she laughs me off again? HEEEELLLLPPPPPP! Woah... I'm 14 :'( can't tell her I'm eggo preggo because she would simply kill me. Besides she would belive that. I'm too much of a goody-goody...

Answer: Yell her you're serious and need to see a doctor. If that doesn't work tell her you think you're pregnant. She'll have you in the doctor's office as quick as possible.

Question: Pet rats and Weil's Disease? Yes, I know this is more than likely a stupid question. I'm getting a pair of male rats Thursday(well, hopefully...) and my sister, who doesn't even live with us anymore, is dead set against me getting them. I have no idea why either, everyone else is fine with the idea with pet rats. Well, anyway, apparently she was watching 'House' last night and she said that some guy was paralyzed and he apparently got it from his pet male rats urine. I don't know anything else about that episode so I googled it and the only thing I could find similar to it was Weil's Disease. Can pet/domesticated rats even get this? It seems like she's doing everything to make my mom think pet rats and pretty much wild rats so, I dunno. I can't find a lot of info about it, well, I don't really understand much of it... so any explanation would be great. Thanks! Oh, also, could anyone try to explain to my sister/mom that pet rats aren't infectious or plagued or dirty or anything like that?

Answer: Hey there, It is actually possible to contract Weil's Syndrome (also known as Leptospirosis) from rat urine. However, a person can get Weil's Syndrome from any pet urine, and it's SOOOO rare that is very highly unlikely. You are much more likely to die from diseases and injuries caused by other kinds of pets than rats... like slipping on dog crap, getting bit by a cat or dog, getting kicked by a horse, etc etc which are also very unlikely things to happen. This was not a stupid question at all, it's actually a great question! Don't feel stupid. As for rats? Rats are actually cleaner than dogs and cats. It's very true. If you keep their cage clean you will have no issues. Rats are very clean animals. The misconception about rats being disease causing came originally from the black plague. The truth about that was that the living conditions of the HUMANS was so bad that the rats got infected fleas from the humans living around them and the fleas jumped off of the rats onto other people. The rats were so prevalent during plague times because the people were so dirty. People used to throw straw on the floor of their castles and homes to "clean them" and didn't really clean up the old straw they'd just pile more on and throw food scraps on the floor, piss on the floor, etc etc and the rats moved in... I know that sounds totally gross, but it's true. Pet rats are very different from wild rats, and are very clean.

Question: what is weil's disease?

Answer: Weils disease is an acute form of Leptospirosis, which is a bacterial infection resulting from exposure to the Leptospira interrogans bacterium. The bacterium is transmitted to humans by contact with the urine of rats, cattle, foxes, rodents and other wild animals, usually by contact with contaminated soil or water. Patients suffering from Weils disease suffer from jaundice and often liver infection. The death rate is approx 4-40% and is it is advised to be immediately diagnosed.