Leptospirosis: Prevention

Persons who are at an extremely high risk (such as soldiers who are training in wetlands) can be pretreated with 200 mg of doxycycline once a week. As of early 1998, there were no vaccines available to prevent leptospirosis.

There are many ways to decrease the chances of being infected by Leptospira. These include:

• avoid swimming or wading in freshwater ponds and slowly moving streams, especially those located near farms.
• do not conduct canoe or kayak capsizing drills in freshwater ponds. Use a swimming pool instead.
• boil or chemically treat pond or stream water before drinking it or cooking with it.
• control rats and mice around the home.
• have pets and farm animals vaccinated against Leptospira.
• wear protective clothing (gloves, boots, long pants, and long-sleeved shirts) when working with wet soil or plants

— Belinda Rowland, PhD