Defend What You Can- Tools to Fight Leptospirosis

Recently in the House of Assembly, Health Minister the Hon. Kim Wilson mentioned three cases of Leptospirosis that have been treated. Leptospirosis is a disease caused by Leptospira bacteria, which can be spread via animal urine, saliva, or exposure to contaminated water—often after hurricanes or flooding. While the minister did not go into detail about where or how the cases arose, what it does show is that the bacteria are in the community and can spread. We here at Wet Work believe in defending what you can, and in this case, defending your water system’s hygiene. While we do not offer services for pet vaccines, trash collection, or vector control, let’s look at a few steps that can be taken to protect your water.

Secure Your Tank

Be sure your tank is completely secure and the lid correctly seals the hatch. Inspect the sides so there are no cracks or holes that would allow small animals or heavy rain flood water to enter the tank. I know it sounds like common sense, but you would be surprised how many people take these little things for granted.

Use A Water Treatment System

Filtration and UV disinfection is your ally. Protect your water at the Point of Entry using a whole house/building UV system to disinfect your water. We recommend Point of Entry disinfection over Point of Use (POU) mainly because POU often only covers water for drinking or cooking. Leptospira can enter your body via mucous membranes or wounds so it is ideal to protect water that serves showers, sinks etc, not just the kitchen.

Test and Disinfect Your Conveyance System

Have your water system tested and disinfected at least once a year. Disinfecting ensures any bacteria that may be lurking in your system are addressed while testing confirms how well your disinfection process is working. This is especially critical if a property has been unused for a while, has recently undergone construction or has never been disinfected. Our blog post Dead-legs, Dead-ends and Disease went into a bit more detail about this.

Not sure where to start or how to defend your water from Leptospira? Give Wet Work a shout and we can help develop a plan to reduce your risk of Leptospirosis.