Open water swimmers warned to take precautions to reduce the risk of illness.
Public Health England is aware of two confirmed and one possible case of leptospirosis associated with a weekend of triathlon events which took place at the Avon Tyrrell Outdoor Activity Centre, in the New Forest, Hampshire between May 30 and June 2 2014. There were also two possible cases in non-UK residents, one of which has been confirmed.
The 167 participants who took part in the triathlon event were from around the UK, Europe, India and the USA. All the swimming events used the same lake and all participants have been informed of the recent illnesses by an email from the event organiser, Enduroman.
The time between exposure to the bacteria which causes leptospirosis and when symptoms first become apparent is 7 to 21 days. As this time has now passed since the triathlon event, it is unlikely any new cases will be identified but it is possible retrospective cases may be picked up.
Dr Hilary Kirkbride, consultant epidemiologist at Public Health England (PHE), said: “Although we are not expecting to see any new cases associated with these events, we advise people who took part in the swimming events and have been feeling unwell or develop symptoms to visit their GP and take the email notification from the event organisers with them. We are working closely with the event organisers who have been cooperating fully with our investigation.
“Early signs of leptospirosis include flu-like symptoms, vomiting, high temperature, headaches and muscle pains. The infection can be treated with antibiotics and most people will make a full recovery. In some cases leptospirosis can be a serious illness and patients may require admission to hospital for treatment.”
Edgar Ette, event organiser for the triathlon event at Enduroman, said: “This is a very unfortunate incident and we have made sure all participants were informed of the recent illnesses by email. We are working closely with PHE and will continue to provide updates.”
Open water swimming is growing in popularity in the UK but there have been outbreaks of gastrointestinal infections (diarrhoea and/or vomiting) associated with mass participation events, as well as cases of respiratory, skin, ear and eye infections.
Most symptoms of these illnesses are generally mild, caused by organisms such as norovirus, giardia and cryptosporidium.
However, there is also a risk of more severe infections caused by organisms such as E. coli O157 which may cause severe gastrointestinal illness as well as leptospirosis, which can cause liver and kidney problems.
Dr Kirkbride, continued: “In the UK, cases of leptospirosis are uncommon. There is no reason why people should not participate in freshwater activities such as swimming, sailing, water skiing or windsurfing, but we advise people to take simple precautions to reduce their risk of infection before engaging in these leisure pursuits. Practical measures swimmers can take include minimising the swallowing of water, showering soon after swimming and washing hands before eating.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.