While no cases were reported last year, the Medical Officer of Health has reported seven confirmed cases so far this year in the region with another under investigation.
Malcolm Fuller, Federated Farmers’ field officer for Northland, Auckland and Hauraki-Coromandel told the Auckland federation’s executive meeting he had heard of two northern farmers who were not vaccinating their herds this year.
“They can’t afford to get the vet in,” he said.
Leptospirosis, a serious bacterial disease, causes flu-like symptoms, such as headaches, muscle pains and fevers. If severe there can be bleeding from the lungs, meningitis or kidney failure.
It is transmitted in water, through contaminated rivers and lakes, and in the urine of cattle, pigs, deer and sheep, as well as rats, mice, possums and hedgehogs.
Infection can happen through breaks in skin or through mucous membranes of the eyes, nose or mouth, with sick dogs able to spread the infection to humans.
Dairy cows need to be vaccinated every year at a cost of less than $2 a head, which can be lowered if vets will supply the vaccine for farmers to administer themselves.
Al McCone, WorkSafe agriculture programme manager, said farmers had a duty of care to protect their own health as well as that of their farm workers by eliminating or reducing health risks. To do so they should vaccinate their animals against lepto, control rodents, practice good personal hygiene, use protective equipment and get help early if they felt unwell.
“You don’t have to come into direct contact with urine or infected tissue of an infected animal,” he said.
“Even a splash or fine spray of urine, or indirect contact with urine-contaminated water, such as water used to clean down a dairy or stockyard, can spread the disease.”
If farmers or farm workers get leptospirosis while working they need to notify WorkSafe as it is a notifiable illness.
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