Abstract

Leptospirosis is a globally important multi-host, multi-pathogen zoonosis with over 1 million cases and 60,000 deaths annually. Humans are infected through contact with urine from infected mammals including wildlife, rodents, farmed species and pets. Despite extensive nationwide intervention measures, leptospirosis remains an unacceptable burden on New Zealanders particularly those living in rural communities and on Māori. Famers and meat-workers remain most at risk and key intervention strategies for these occupations are the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and animal vaccination. I will present our work on leptospirosis at the human-animal interface with focus on meat-workers who are required to use PPE yet have no say in the vaccination status of animals they are exposed to.