Date of Award

January 2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Public Health (MPH)

Department

School of Public Health

First Advisor

Joseph Vinetz

Second Advisor

Suneth Agampodi

Abstract

Leptospirosis, caused by the spirochetes of the genus Leptospira, is a zoonotic bacterialdisease endemic to tropical regions and lower middle income countries (LMICs). Leptospirosis causes an estimated 1 million cases and more than 58,900 deaths annually.(Costa et al., 2015; Torgeson et al., 2015) In addition to human health, leptospirosis significantly impacts animal health and the livestock industry, particularly through reproductive losses, increased treatment costs, and decreased milk production, which exacerbates global insecurity.(Bennet, 2015; Torgeson et al., 2015) The estimated global cost loss to productivity due to disease is estimated at Int$ 29.3 billion. (Agampodi et al., 2023) Because of its non-specific clinical manifestations coupled with the lack of timely and actionable diagnostics, leptospirosis lacks comprehensive global burden estimates, contributing to its status as a neglected disease, despite its significant implications for human and animal health.(Costa et al., 2015) In this paper we argue that burden of disease metrics are the highest priority for the leptospirosis field to demonstrate to policy makers and funders the high toll leptospirosis takes and to advocate for its recognition as a significant public health challenge. This paper aims to address a known gap in the global burden of disease research for leptospirosis by highlighting the economic impacts of this disease on human and animal health at the regional and country levels. We carried out a systematic literature review that screened four databases and articles published between 1970 and 2025, without restrictions to language. 34 articles were ultimately included in the review. This work highlights several limitations, including a lack of accessible diagnostic assays and regional discrepancies in data collection. Given that the actual costs of illness could be much higher as many cases go unidentified, it is important to raise awareness among stakeholders to develop actionable control methods and motivate its inclusion in the global health agenda.

Comments

This thesis is restricted to Yale network users only. It will be made publicly available on 12/16/2025

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