How to Avoid Canine Leptospirosis

Typhoon and floods - these are things that is brought by the Rainy Season. The Rainy Season is also the season of various illneses and one of the fatal disease that is popular during this is season is leptospirosis.

Canine leptospirosis is disease that affects both animals and humans. The disease is caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospira and is known to damage the kidneys and livers of dogs. There are also reported canine leptospirosis that affects the lungs of causing severe hemorrhage.

Canine leptospirosis is commonly transferred through water or mud that contains Leptospira bacteria, which came from the urine of animals infected with canine leptospirosis. There other ways to be infected with canine leptospirosis other then being exposed to Leptospira contaminated water. The bacteria can enter the body through wounds or break in the skin, swallowing contaminated water, and splashing contaminated water to the eyes and nose. Canine leptospirosis can also be contracted through other means. Being exposed to blood or body fluids of animals infected with canine leptospirosis is one way to contract the disease. Veterinarians, slaughterhouse, and people working with animals have the risk of contracting canine leptospirosis.

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Magnified image of Leptospira bacteria.

Vaccine against canine leptospirosis is not yet exisiting for humans. There anti-leptospirosis vaccines against animals but those are just for few strains of the Leptospira bacteria. Because of this lack of vaccine, the best way to prevent contracting canine leptospirosis is the reduce exposure to contaminated water. Here are some ways to avoid canine leptospirosis.

1. Avoid flood and other possibly contaminated water – floods are everywhere during the Rainy Season. Metro Manila, a known haven for rats and stray dogs and cats, has many areas that are flooded with water from the sewers and esteros overflowing to the streets. Avoid flooded areas as much as possible, especially if you have wounds or openings on your skin. Never swallow flood water.

2. Wear gloves when working with mud and moist soil – Leptospira bacteria are known to thrive on moist area. This means that you can still contract canine leptospirosis if you expose yourself with contaminated mud or moist soil.

3. Wear proper gears when working with animals – Slaughterhouse workers should make sure that they wear proper gear when working with animals. Gloves and proper uniform serve as added protection to Leptospira bacteria that are possibly present in blood and body fluids of animals. This reminder is also applicable to veterinarians and other people working with animals.

4. Avoid eating “double dead” meat – “Double dead” meat are meat that came from animals that died because of disease. It is possible that the “double dead” meat came from an animal that came from an animal that died because of canine leptospirosis. Also, I recommend that you cook your food well to make sure that all bacteria, including the Leptospira bacteria, die during the cooking process.

It is said that prevention is the best cure. This adage is also applicable with canine leptospirosis. The best way to avoid canine leptospirosis is to avoid it by avoiding water, mud or other medium that are contaminated with the Leptospira bacteria.

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Image and info about canine leptospirosis were obtained from Wikipedia.

How to Prevent Earblock

Earblock, known medically as Barotrauma, is a phenomenon experienced by a person when the airplane descends from a high altitude to lower altitudes. It usually occurs when the plane is landing to the airport. As it lands, the pressure inside the plane increases until the eardrums can’t bear the difference of pressure inside and outside the ears.

People having earblock experience deafness and pain inside the ears, specifically at the eardrums. Earblock is usually felt in small pressurized airplanes. It may also be felt in large commercial planes, albeit milder than in smaller planes.

There is no medicine to remove the pain accompanied by earblock. The only solution is to equalize the pressure in the inner ear with the pressure outside so as to ease the tension experienced by the eardrums. Here are some of the ways to combat earblock while the plane lands:

1) Yaaaaawn

Yes, yawning is not just being done when you are sleepy. It has other purposes and its main purpose is to equalize the pressure inside the ears with that of the environment. When you yawn, sometimes you may hear a popping sound inside your ears. That sound is caused by the air rushing to your ears from the Eustachian tube, otherwise known as the auditory tube. This tube connects the inner ear with the pharynx.

2) Pinch Your Nose then Blow

If yawning can’t ease the earblock, the next thing you can do is to force air to your inner ear. To do this, you have to pinch your nose and blow hard through it. The air will have no place to go but to pass through the auditory tube and enter the inner ear. You may feel uneasy doing this but it is the best way of easing the pressure for your eardrums.

3) Chew Gum

As the plane lands, it is suggested that you chew bubble gum to prevent earblock. Chewing makes the muscle around the auditory tube to move so as to allow the opening of the tube. The air will easily enter the inner ear and normalize the pressure.

Reminders

Be careful when doing the above techniques to ease earblocks, especially the second suggestion. Do not blow too hard or you may break your eardrums. You will know that you blew enough air if your ears feel much better and your hearing returned to normal.

It is also suggest that you refrain from chewing gum while the plane is ascending to higher altitudes. The reason for this is that the pressure in the inner ear will decrease, as the pressure inside the plane decreases. When this happens, it is more likely that you will experience earblock when the plane descends.

See a doctor if pain and deafness persist after following the suggestions mentioned above.

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Picture of Ear taken from Wikimedia Commons.