Mouse fever: Ukraine claims outbreak that causes bleeding eyes & vomiting severely affecting Russian troops

Ukraine has alleged that an outbreak of what they refer to as 'mouse fever' is severely affecting Russian frontline troops, particularly in the city of Kupyansk in the eastern part of the country. The disease, supposedly a streptococcal infection transmitted through direct contact with rodents or inhaling their feces, is reported to cause symptoms such as vomiting, bleeding eyes, severe headaches, high body temperature, rashes, decreased blood pressure, eye hemorrhages, nausea, and difficulty urinating.

In an update posted to the Telegram messaging app as reported by the Daily Mail, Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) said: "In the Kupyansk direction of the front, the occupiers are mowed down en masse by 'mouse fever'. As a result, mouse fever significantly reduced the fighting ability of Russian rats."

It added: "Because the disease affects the kidneys, a person infected with mouse fever experiences intense pain in the lower back and has severe difficulty urinating."

Ukraine's HUR claimed the Russian soldiers' suffering has fallen on deaf ears, with commanders taking their complaints as an excuse to avoid fighting. The post said: "Complaints about fever from personnel of the Russian army, who are involved in the war against Ukraine, were ignored by the command, regarding them as another manifestation of evasion from participating in combat operations. In addition, at the first stage of the course, 'mouse fever' resembles an ordinary flu."

The term 'mouse fever' does not seem to be a clinical designation, and the symptoms described resemble those of leptospirosis, also known as rat-bite fever. The situation in Ukraine has been challenging, with a year-end counteroffensive falling short of expectations, resulting in a near stalemate along extensive front lines marked by snow, trenches, and dangerous mine fields.

Soldiers on both sides are enduring harsh conditions in frozen trenches, with reports of rodent infestations shared on social media. The conflict has seen heavy casualties, and concerns persist about a potential shift in momentum favouring Russia in the coming warmer months, unless Ukraine secures crucial funding from Western allies.