Editing Leptospirosis (section)

==Prevention==
[[File:A Leptospirosis warning notice board.jpg|thumb|alt=A sign warning against swimming in a lake with pathogenic Leptospira in Sarawak, Malaysia. | A notice board by a lakeside in [[Sarawak]], Malaysia that warns against swimming in the lake as it has tested positive for pathogenic ''Leptospira''.]]
[[File:Capture.png|thumb|alt=Blood samples being taken from several men| Blood samples being taken from a group of residents in [[Boyolali Regency]], Indonesia  for leptospirosis screening tests.]]
Rates of leptospirosis can be reduced by improving housing, infrastructure, and sanitation standards. Rodent abatement efforts and flood mitigation projects can also help to prevent it.<ref name="Haake 2015"/> Proper use of [[personal protective equipment]] (PPE) by people who have a high risk of occupational exposure can prevent leptospirosis infections in most cases.<ref name="Haake 2015"/>

There is no human vaccine suitable for worldwide use.<ref name="Teixeira2019">{{cite journal | vauthors = Teixeira AF, Fernandes LG, Cavenague MF, Takahashi MB, Santos JC, Passalia FJ, Daroz BB, Kochi LT, Vieira ML, Nascimento AL | display-authors = 6 | title = Adjuvanted leptospiral vaccines: Challenges and future development of new leptospirosis vaccines | journal = Vaccine | volume = 37 | issue = 30 | pages = 3961–3973 | date = July 2019 | pmid = 31186193 | doi = 10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.05.087 }}</ref> Only Cuba, Japan, France, and China have approved the use of leptospirosis vaccines, and they are administered only to those in high-risk occupations and in response to floods and epidemics.<ref name="Haake 2015"/><ref name="Teixeira2019"/><ref name="YingHua2018">{{cite journal | vauthors = Xu Y, Ye Q | title = Human leptospirosis vaccines in China | journal = Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics | volume = 14 | issue = 4 | pages = 984–993 | date = April 2018 | pmid = 29148958 | pmc = 5893195 | doi = 10.1080/21645515.2017.1405884 }}</ref> The vaccines are composed of killed ''Leptospira'', and they confer immunity only to the serovar contained in the vaccine.<ref name="YingHua2018"/> Side effects such as nausea, [[Erythema|injection site redness]] and swelling have been reported after the vaccine was injected. Since the immunity induced by one ''Leptospira'' serovar is only protective against that specific one, [[trivalent]] vaccines have been developed.<ref name="Haake 2015"/> Immunity following vaccination lasts for about a year.<ref name="YingHua2018"/>

[[Doxycycline]] is given once a week as a [[prophylaxis]] and is effective in reducing the rate of leptospirosis infections amongst high-risk individuals in flood-prone areas.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Abd Rahim MA, Zaki AM, Atil A, Azme MH, Him NA, Rahim SS, Jeffree MS, Ahmad N, Hassan MR |title=Effectiveness of Antibiotic Prophylaxis for Leptospirosis among Adults: A Systematic Review |journal=Malaysian Journal of Applied Sciences |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=46–56 |url= https://journal.unisza.edu.my/myjas/index.php/myjas/article/view/144 |access-date=1 March 2020 }}</ref> In one study, it reduced the number of leptospirosis cases in military personnel undergoing exercises in the jungles. In another study, it reduced the number of symptomatic cases after exposure to leptospirosis under heavy rainfall in [[Endemic (epidemiology)|endemic]] areas.<ref name="Haake 2015"/>