Sept 08, Colombo: Health Ministry of Sri Lanka has expressed concern over the lack of medication used to treat Leptospirosis, commonly known as rat fever which is currently spreading fast in the island nation.

The government facing a shortage of the necessary medications has already issued a warning to the general public to take extra precaution to avoid getting infected from this deadly virus.

Already 3,700 individuals from Colombo, Gampaha, Matale, Kandy, Matara, and Kegalle have been infected by the fatal disease.

Leptospirosis is a bacterial zoonotic disease caused by spirochetes of the genus Leptospira that affect humans and a wide range of animals. There is a common misconception that the disease is associated only with rats. In Sri Lanka, it is believed to spread mostly among the paddy field farmers.