Zakynthos patient in critical condition as suspected leptospirosis case

A 56‑year‑old man, a father of two from a rural area of Zakynthos, has been placed on a ventilator in the intensive‑care unit of the island’s hospital. He is suffering multi‑organ failure and doctors consider him a suspected case of leptospirosis, a disease transmitted by rodent urine. Samples have been sent to specialised laboratories outside the island, with results expected on Friday.

The case follows four confirmed leptospirosis infections recorded on Zakynthos in April, one of which was fatal. The island has been grappling with a severe rodent infestation; local authorities’ rodent‑control programmes have been criticised as late and ineffective. The national public‑health agency (EODY) has urged the timely application of rodenticide before the breeding season and has advised workers to use protective gloves and strict hand‑hygiene.

Zakynthos now leads the Ionian islands and ranks among the highest in Greece for leptospirosis cases, prompting heightened scrutiny of municipal and regional disease‑prevention measures.