Has leptospirosis begun to claim victims, why are there no official information, who is first in the chain of responsibility?

Written by: Amra Vrabac

Since May 23, a leptospirosis epidemic has been declared in Sarajevo Canton. In the meantime, brucellosis has also appeared. From then until today, except for the press conference of the Institute for Public Health of Sarajevo Canton on May 23, there has been no public address by the Government of Sarajevo Canton, the Minister of Health, the Minister of Communal Economy, and other relevant entities to inform the public about what is being done to combat the epidemic. Sporadic media appearances by certain ministers, who have positioned this health crisis within the domain of communal economy, even though it is causally linked, have only further raised suspicion that the Government of Sarajevo Canton is not managing the current situation.

Apart from a few statements, which can also be seen on the website of the Government of Sarajevo Canton, there has been, for example, no press conference that would clearly present the plan to combat the epidemic, appeal to citizens on how they can contribute and what measures they can take themselves, what they can demand from their housing managers, employers, and property owners.

However, as we have seen these days, citizens have organized themselves. They are mowing around their buildings, washing building entrances, cleaning basements, and avoiding areas where rodents have been spotted. But the news that one person has died, who had complications from a leptospirosis infection, raises many questions. It concerns a healthcare worker from the Emergency Medical Service.

Member of the Sarajevo Canton Assembly Sebija Izetbegović announced that this employee died from leptospirosis and demanded accountability.

It should be recalled that the public was informed about the appearance of this disease only after several articles by a portal whose journalist was a patient. Otherwise, the question is whether the epidemic would have been declared, or whether we would have known about the infection or deaths from leptospirosis.

From multiple sources, Patria has been confirmed that patients with symptoms characteristic of leptospirosis have been contacting their family doctors since April, at least regarding the Dobrinja settlement, where the largest number of patients was recorded, with patients later appearing from other parts of Sarajevo Canton who were diagnosed with leptospirosis.

Given that the mass appearance of rodents, whose urine spreads the bacteria causing leptospirosis, occurred due to negligence in implementing the legally mandated deratization of public areas, the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office has also opened a case. So far, it is unknown what actions have been taken, whether anyone has been questioned, under what circumstances, and whether the death now raises the issue of additional responsibility.

According to the Institute for Public Health of Sarajevo Canton, deratization was not carried out during 2023 (neither spring nor autumn), nor in spring 2024, which led to the mass appearance of rodents.

The Institute issued a statement on May 31, outlining whose obligations are related to the deratization process, and preparations are already underway for the autumn phase of systematic deratization.

“The Institute for Public Health of Sarajevo Canton will continue to conduct expert supervision and forward all received citizen reports of an increased number of rodents to the consortium responsible for implementing deratization, and if necessary, after the completion of the spring phase, propose the implementation of emergency deratization. Accordingly, a coordination meeting with all relevant actors in this process is planned to be organized at the beginning of July,” the Institute states.

Thus, the public is informed about individual activities by the Institute for Public Health, the Cantonal Administration for Inspection Affairs, KJKP Rad, and the Clinical Center of the University of Sarajevo, which is very difficult for citizens to follow.

For example, the director of KJKP Rad, Mirsad Jašarević, stated in a TV interview that "they have remediated the leptospirosis hotspots," so it is unclear on what basis he assessed that the hotspots have been remediated, and whether the Institute for Public Health is the only one that can say a hotspot has been remediated.

But while the authorities agree on who does what, we wish citizens to stay as healthy as possible under the current circumstances prevailing in Sarajevo Canton.