The health authorities have appealed to citizens to consult doctors before taking any medicines and also warned against following any prescriptions which appears on social media and WhatsApp groups. Messages about steps to be taken to prevent leptospirosis are doing the rounds on the social media.

On Saturday,the Kolhapur Municipal Corporation (KMC) said that keeping a check on water-borne and mosquito-borne diseases, along with leptospirosis, is their top priority while the flood waters withdraw. Ramesh Jadhav, head of KMC’s infectious disease control programme, said people are being misguided through online prescriptions for preventing leptospirosis, a zoonotic disease. The disease is caused when people come in contact with water contaminated by animal urine. The leptospira bacteria is carried by animals such as rats, cows and dogs.

Jadhav further said that a doctor should be consulted if any symptoms are noticed. People those who take part in rescue operations or travel barefoot in flooded areas are generally advised to take preventive medications. Those people who had any foot injury and had walked through flood water should take medicines with doctor’s consultation.

Madan Patil, district president of chemist association, said the medicines for leptospirosis should not be sold over the counter. They have instructed all member chemists not to dispense the drug without prescription. They have also received directions from the administration to keep sufficientstock of antibiotics.