Alert: Weils Disease increase

E

estelle

Member
The info regarding Weils Disease is something all cavers should be fully aware of because of the nature of many caves having water in, and often being on farmland which seems to increase the risk, and who only knows what bacteria is in that water so it's really good to see it highlighted every now and again! The key is quick treatment so if you go down with fluey type symptoms soon after a trip, forcefully tell your doctor to test for leptospirosis and ask for precautionary antibiotics if you think there is any chance you might have been exposed as the time between showing flu like symptoms and death doesn't seem to be overly great! I was amongst a few who contracted it from a dig site about 15 or so years back, but thankfully we were all on the alert for symptoms as the first person to get it was thankfully recovering in hospital having treated the flu symptoms as nothing to worry about! My doctor was very complacent about the chances but pacified me by giving me antibiotics and a test and then phoned me personally when the test results came in to apologise for not taking me seriously and confirm i was taking those antibiotics! If you catch it early with antibiotics, recovery is very quick, where if it was actually flu, it's a virus, so the antibiotics would have no affect.

I would say, keep calm and carry on caving! Your chances of picking it up are probably reasonably slim, just always be aware of it's existance and the symptoms. Reality is anyone working around sewers, drainage, water courses or farm land or having hobbies in those environments needs to be aware. http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/oct/26/weils-disease-andy-holmes is an example of another hobby that needs to think about it too.
 
Pitlamp

Pitlamp

Well-known member
Thanks for your kind words above Bograt.

There is a consistent theme running through all posts above - you can't avoid Leptospira, even though the risk of infection is small. If you do get it, it's no big deal provided you get treatment as soon as possible. Treatment is simple (the correct antibiotics).

Being clued up about this, so you suspect it as soon as possible in your case history, is the important thing. The NCA made a very good job of flagging it up going back to the 1980s; those small information cards on Weils Disease were very good. Having suffered it - and got it sorted through timely medical care - I think it would be useful if some very basic info could be printed on the BCA membership cards, perhaps directing people to the more comprehensive information on the BCA's website.

Don't worry Alex, the cave that got me (which is actually in Cumbria) is probably not somewhere you'd envisage going - the point is (as folk have said above) is that there is always a chance of infection wherever you cave.

If anyone is especially interested, I wrote a short article in a northern caving journal about the disease, summarising what cavers should know. If anyone particularly wants to see this, send me a PM with your proper email address and I can send it to you.
 
TheBitterEnd

TheBitterEnd

Well-known member
Pitlamp said:
... which is actually in Cumbria ...
Click to expand...

All the best ones are!

Seriously though, the idea of a credit card sized card is a good one, I used to work in sewerage (and sometimes sewage) and we all had a card to show to the doctor if we had symptoms. It also tended to make you stop and think. in a few years time when this current scare has been forgotten and you are feeling a bit under the weather a card in your wallet may jog your memory.
 
langcliffe

langcliffe

Well-known member
I'm always wary of the Goyden caves, and if I ever take anyone in there I always have some spare glovers in case they haven't their own.
 
S

steviet_scg

Member
Couple of points - only really to affirm what has already been said ...

From the Communicable Disease Control Handbook

- Leptospires can survive in fresh water for 16 days and in soil for 24 days

- don't hesitate to ask for treatment. the initial fever may settle but it will come back and the type of symptoms can vary widely. Better to mention the possibility to your GP.

- there's a few strains so catching it once won't necessarily mean that you can't catch it again

Leptospirosis is a notifiable disease and Public Health England publishes weekly updates on notifiable diseases (look under 'other' in the spreadsheet - not many cases yet)

http://www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/NotificationsOfInfectiousDiseases/NOIDSReportsAndTables/

These pages are also helpful

http://www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/Leptospirosis/

Printing info on the BCA cards is a great idea - but if possible some general cards for non-BCA members to pick up at the usual places would be great. The NCA cards certainly alerted me to this risk.
 
E

estelle

Member
I honestly don't think my doctor would have listened at all if it hadn't been for the old NCA cards. I still have mine, but the writing is so faded that unreadable now sadly. I think the idea of on the back of BCA cards is a great idea.
 
Bob Mehew

Bob Mehew

Well-known member
Pitlamp said:
The NCA made a very good job of flagging it up going back to the 1980s; those small information cards on Weils Disease were very good. Having suffered it - and got it sorted through timely medical care - I think it would be useful if some very basic info could be printed on the BCA membership cards, perhaps directing people to the more comprehensive information on the BCA's website.
Click to expand...

I have around a 1000 of the NCA cards but could not think of a cheap way of getting them to cavers.  Any suggestions?

 
D

dunc

New member
Bob Mehew said:
I have around a 1000 of the NCA cards but could not think of a cheap way of getting them to cavers.  Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Long way off but how about taking them to Hidden Earth?
 
martinm

martinm

New member
Bob Mehew said:
Pitlamp said:
The NCA made a very good job of flagging it up going back to the 1980s; those small information cards on Weils Disease were very good. Having suffered it - and got it sorted through timely medical care - I think it would be useful if some very basic info could be printed on the BCA membership cards, perhaps directing people to the more comprehensive information on the BCA's website.
Click to expand...

I have around a 1000 of the NCA cards but could not think of a cheap way of getting them to cavers.  Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Post a batch to each of the regional caving bodies who could then post them out to their members? You could I'm sure recover the postage costs from BCA?

 
A

Aggybat

New member
How about scanning/photographing the card and putting the image on here. Anyone could then print off their own.
 
bagpuss

bagpuss

Member
Thanks for the info. I recently had to go to the doctors after getting a nasty skin infection from a cut (got water in it caving). The doctor was really good, and actually suggested putting it in my notes about being a caver and reminded me to watch out for Weils - was quite impressed!
 
Bob Mehew

Bob Mehew

Well-known member
Trouble with posting is it would cost over ?500 to send them out as a separate item (ignoring the time to lick 1000 stamps and envelopes - been there and done that).  With around 1000 of them, I don't have enough to cover all 5000 plus members of BCA so I don't think distributing them with the green (or red) cards will do.  (Plus Glenn would be not very happy counting them out.)  Hidden Earth is a goer but I do like the idea of caving shops.  I will follow up on that one and any other suggestions which may subsequently arise when I get back home.  Thanks all for the ideas.

Paul's source replicates most of the information on the NCA card bar mentioning Hereford Hospital as the central reference unit for the disease.  I understand samples go there for confirmation that you have the disease which may explain why it takes some days to get confirmation after giving the blood sample.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top