Human leptospirosis outbreak in the district of Ciego de Avila, Cuba

Forty leptospirosis outbreaks occurred in Ciego de Avila province from 1980 to 1995. The main events involved in the outbreaks were floods, bathing in rivers and activities related to sugar cane and banana cultivation. The number of cases increased after June, with higher incidences reported in October and November. The most affected age groups were 10-14 years, 15-19 years and 30-34 years. Men were more affected than women. Students, people residing in the urban zone and farmers were the most affected groups. A total of 21 outbreaks out of 40 were confirmed by the microagglutination test and the remaining 19 by the hemolytic test. Pomona and Australis were the serogroups most frequently detected by microagglutination.