Weil's disease: child catches rare infection after swimming in Essex river

The child contracted Weil’s disease after swimming in the River Stour in Dedham. Dedham Parish Church said in an update on its website: “Unfortunately a local student has recently suffered a severe infection after swimming in the River Stour at Dedham, and has been very poorly.

“This is a confirmed case of Weil’s Disease (Leptospirosis) which can be very serious. It is spread in the urine of infected animals such as rats and cows, and you can acquire Leptospirosis if soil or freshwater (such as water from a river) that contains infected urine gets in your mouth.”

The council added that the Environment Agency is undertaking monitoring of the river. According to the NHS, Weil’s disease is spread through the urine of infection animals, most commonly rats, mice, cows, pigs and dogs. Most people who contract the illness display no symptoms, but some may become seriously ill.

For these who display, symptoms include a high temperature, headache, body aches and pain, stomach ache, feeling or being sick, diarrhoea, redness in the white part of your eyes and yellowing of the skin or white part of the eyes. Most patients recover from Weil’s disease within a few day or weeks, with a course of antibiotics often given as treatment.