DID YOU KNOW THAT RAT URINE IN SODA CANS CAN MAKE YOU SICK?

Have you washed your soda cans before opening them? Most do so because they know that these cans can remain in storage for a long time, and probably could have been in contact with a rat. Apart from the fact that the former would be disgusting, is it possible? Or just a myth?

According to the disease prevention organization Snopes, it is entirely possible for someone to contract a disease called leptospirosis when they are exposed to the urine of carrier rats. However, when the term leptospirosis is used to describe stories about people who have drunk from a can that has been touched by rats, experts cannot confirm these stories. Even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns that consumers should always wash their cans before using them.

Known as ‘rat disease’ also called leptospirosis, it is a worldwide endemic disease and is found mainly in countries with humid climates. It is estimated that there are more than 500,000 cases of leptospirosis annually. Most of them have a severe manifestation and mortality is higher than 10%. The problem is that the real figures are not known because not all cases are registered, and often the diagnosis is erroneous.

Leptospira interrogans can be confused like many similar diseases, as it has a long incubation period. However, if symptoms last longer than two weeks or offer any signs of severity, then the possibilities of leptospirosis should be investigated.

Among the most frequent symptoms: Fever; headache, myalgia (particularly in the calf muscle), conjunctival infection, jaundice; general malaise among other symptoms/signs. The incubation period is 5-14 days, with a range of 2-30 days. It is sometimes confused with other diseases common in the tropics, such as dengue and other hemorrhagic fevers.