Leptospirosis trends in China, 2007–2018: A retrospective observational study

Abstract

Leptospirosis is one of the most common and neglected tropical waterborne diseases in China, causing serious economic losses, and constituting a significant public health threat. Leptospirosis has recently received increased attention and is considered a reemerging infectious disease in many countries. The incidence of leptospirosis among people suggests that occupation, age, season, sex and water recreational activities are significant risk factors. The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiological profiles of leptospirosis in China during the 2007-2018 period. The morbidity data of leptospirosis by age, season (month), gender, occupation and geographic location (different provinces) were obtained from the public health science data centre of China for subsequent epidemiological analysis. The results indicate that the incidence of leptospirosis has shown a slow downward trend from 2007 to 2018, but morbidity rates were still relatively high (0.0660-0.0113). The incidence of leptospirosis varied in different provinces of China; cases localized mainly to the Southern and Central provinces, areas with warm weather and ample rainfall. Older people (aged 60-75), males, farmers, students and field workers were high-risk populations. During the 2007-2018 observation period, morbidity rates increased beginning in May, remained at high levels in August and September and decreased after November. The present investigation highlights the re-emergence of leptospirosis in some provinces of China (especially in Yunnan and Fujian) and shows that leptospirosis remains a serious public health threat. The results of this study should enhance measures taken for the prevention, control, and surveillance of leptospirosis in China.

Human leptospirosis in the municipality of São Paulo, SP, Brazil: distribution and trend according to sociodemographic factors, 2007–2016

“…The fact that most cases were reported in an urban area and/or in a home environment corroborates results observed in numerous Brazilian studies [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]17,19,[35][36][37][38][39] . In addition, the most frequent exposures-involving water, flood mud and the presence of synanthropic rodentswere also reported in studies carried out in developing countries 16,17,40 .…”

Pathogenic Leptospira Species Are Widely Disseminated among Wild Rodents in Urban Areas of Guangzhou, Southern China

“…As a consequence, leptospirosis is a common and widespread zoonotic disease in China [ 11 , 12 ]. Although historically Guangdong province has had a relatively high incidence of human leptospirosis, in recent years, the disease has been only sporadically prevalent in this region [ 12 , 13 , 14 ]. However, limited information is available regarding the epidemiology of pathogenic Leptospira in wild rodents, which are the most important natural reservoirs for this pathogen.…”

“…Thanks to the national surveillance system and prevention and control programs, improved housing, better waste management, and the improvement of agricultural mechanization, the average annual incidence of human leptospirosis in China has dramatically decreased [ 13 ]. A recent study indicated that for the past decade, human leptospirosis in China was primarily distributed in central-southern China, including the Guangdong province [ 14 ]. According to data available from the official departments of mainland China, the total number of confirmed leptospirosis cases nationwide was 297 in 2020, of which 23 cases were reported in the Guangdong province ( , accessed on 12 March 2021; , accessed on 19 February 2021).…”

Prevalence of Leptospira in murine in China: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…So far, more than 80% of the provinces in China have reported leptospirosis cases, with a total of more than 2.5 million cases reported, including 20,000 deaths ( 73 ). Although the overall incidence of leptospirosis had shown a slow downward trend in recent years, there has also been an upward trend in some provinces of China (such as Fujian and Yunnan) ( 74 ). Murine have been the main source of infection, and livestock, especially pigs and cattle, and dogs are important hosts and sources of Leptospira ( 3 ).…”