Neglecting the neglected during the COVID-19 pandemic: the case of leptospirosis in Sri Lanka
Janith Warnasekara, Suneth Agampodi
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted global health systems and affected the transmission dynamics as well as the surveillance of other infectious diseases. This study described the probable effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the surveillance and control of leptospirosis in Sri Lanka. With 8,579 reported cases and more than 800 estimated deaths, the Sri Lankan public health surveillance system documented the largest outbreak of leptospirosis in Sri Lankan history in 2020. This was the worst infectious disease outbreak Sri Lanka experienced in 2020, but it was neglected, primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Topics & Concepts
LeptospirosisOutbreakMedicineSri lankaPandemicPublic healthInfectious disease (medical specialty)Transmission (telecommunications)Environmental healthDiseaseDisease transmissionEpidemiologyCommunicable diseaseDisease surveillanceDengue feverCoronavirusSocioeconomicsPublic health surveillanceDisease controlEmerging infectious diseaseCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)Veterinary medicineZoonotic diseaseTropical diseaseVirologySerotype2019-20 coronavirus outbreakContact tracingLeptospirosis research and findingsZoonotic diseases and public healthYersinia bacterium, plague, ectoparasites research