obstaclemudrunner.co.uk
ForEliteAtheletes toFunRunners
26
HEALTH: LEPTOSPIROSIS
Its not the obstacles you can see...
The topic of conversation was “the obstacles that we
don’t see on the course,” the nasty little ones that can
have a huge impact on us, namely Bacteria!
In 2016 there have already been 1000’s of cases of a
nasty little bacteria called Leptospirosis, with many of
these cases coming from the OCR scene.
There is currently a H&S investigation into why there
are this many cases, but previous investigations and
results show that the H&S executive do not put the
blame on any particular event or Race Director.
So what is Leptospirosis?
There are 2 types of Leptospirosis – Weil’s disease
and Hardjo.
If you have ever done Tough Guy and read their
bumph you will know about Weil’s Disease and how
it is passed to humans through the contact of urine
from infected rats.
The other Hardjo is transmitted to humans through
contact with cattle urine and foetal fluids.
Now you may not go around looking for urine from
rats and cattle but you will at some point whilst doing
OCR come into contact with them. Usually from
jumping in ponds, streams, rivers where cattle have
drunk or rats swam, or from running through fields or
muddy parts where cattle or rats may have walked,
so we are all exposed at some point or other.
However, to actually catch it, the
bacteria must come in contact
with an open wound or
cut or through the lining
of the mouth, the throat
or eyes.
These few simple rules may help you stay as safe as
possible.
n
When jumping into water – keep your mouth and
eyes shut.
n
Never rub your eyes after being in open water.
n
Don’t eat or drink from muddy or dirty cups /
hands – let someone feed you those Jelly babies.
n
After running get cleaned off and if possible use
anti-bacterial wipes on cuts and abrasions and
around the eyes, nose and mouth.
n
I also recommend gargling, drinking and swilling
the mouth out with a can of flat coke. This is my
personal recommendation and although there is no
medical evidence it works, my experience tells me it
does.
So, what if you did catch it?
The good news is that although both types of
Leptospirosis are not pleasant, both are treatable if
caught early. There are 3 stages:
Stage 1:
Cold /flu like symptoms, sniffles, sore
throat and quite often accompanied by a
headache.
Stage 2:
Vomiting and/or diarrhea.
Stage 3:
Jaundice, Meningitis and kidney failure.
With today’s medical advancements Leptospirosis is
very rarely fatal but is easier treated if caught early.
So if in the first 3 days after an event you start to feel
like stage 1, go to your doctor and tell them how you
feel and that you may have Leptospirosis because
you are a crazy fool that loves running through mud
at weekends.
So to recap.
•
Keep your mouth shut.
•
Wash afterwards.
•
See a doctor as soon as possible if you think
you might have it.
The obstacle
you don’t see
Thanks for reading. Keep Safe.
Alan Moore,
, meets a Health & Safety executive in Nottingham for a chat.
It turned
out to be
a very
interesting
chat indeed.
