(Ars Technica — April 17, 2024)
6
The number of cases in New York City this year, as of April 10, of leptospirosis, a life-threatening bacterial infection typically spread through rat urine.
If left untreated, the infection can cause kidney failure, liver damage, jaundice, hemorrhage, bloody eyes, respiratory distress and potentially death. Last year, the city had 24 cases of the illness, the highest number of cases ever recorded for a single year. By comparison, between 2001 and 2020, the city logged an average of just three leptospirosis cases a year.
