Leptospirosis - Annual Epidemiological Report for 2019

For 2019, 24 EU/EEA countries reported 1 049 confirmed cases of leptospirosis, the highest number in the period from 2015–2019, possibly because of environmental conditions favourable to hosts, and/or increase of activities at risk for infection.

The notification rate was 0.21 confirmed cases per 100 000 population in the EU/EEA. There was no obvious long-term trend, as a similar notification rate was observed in 2014. Human leptospirosis was more common in adults, and notification rates were higher for males than females in all age groups.

Avoiding contact with water contaminated with animal urine, vaccination of animal carriers and rodent control may prevent a significant proportion of leptospirosis cases.