The first two deaths from the waterborne bacterial infection were reported in southern Brazil, where flood waters are slowly receding, and health authorities warned that more deaths were possible.
The Rio Grande do Sul State Health Department confirmed on Wednesday the death of a 33-year-old man due to leptospirosis. On Monday, authorities recorded that a 67-year-old man had died from the same infection. Since early May, there have been 29 confirmed cases of waterborne disease in the state.
Water rationing ordered as severe floods devastate southern Brazil
At least 161 people have died in nearly two weeks of flooding, and 82 people remain missing, state authorities said Wednesday. Officials say more than 600,000 people have been forced from their homes and tens of thousands remain in evacuation centers.
Health experts had previously predicted that infectious diseases such as leptospirosis and hepatitis B would spike in the weeks after the floods as sewage mixes with the floodwaters.
A man rows a boat on a flooded road after heavy rain, Saturday, May 11, 2024, in Sao Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
“Some people die during floods, and there are also the aftermath of floods,” said Paulo Saldiva, a professor of medicine at the University of São Paulo who studies the effects of climate change on health. “The lack of potable water itself means that people start using water from reservoirs, which is of poor quality.”
The unprecedented disaster affected more than 80% of the state’s municipalities and damaged critical infrastructure, including more than 3,000 health facilities, including hospitals, pharmacies, health centers and private clinics, according to a report released Tuesday by the federal health research agency Fiocruz.
“The outbreak of leptospirosis was somewhat expected given the number of people exposed to the water, as were other diseases,” said Carlos Machado, a public health and environmental expert appointed by Fiocruz to track the impact of the floods. “We have never seen a disaster of this magnitude in Brazil, with so many people exposed.”
Machado said despite disruptions to infrastructure, basic disease control and medical services, local health departments are working to provide infectious disease prevention measures and guidance to returning residents on how to reduce their risk of exposure.
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Machado said disruptions to health care services can also have lasting effects on patients treating chronic conditions, as treatment and care for chronic conditions is halted. People also often leave their homes during climate disasters without prescriptions or identification.
“The health department is working hard to ensure that medicines are available to patients with chronic conditions,” he said.
