Expat in Dubai dies after suspected rat fever during vacation in Kerala

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AN Indian expat in Dubai, who was on vacation in his hometown in Keralam, has died after contracting suspected leptospirosis, commonly known as rat fever, his family has told Gulf News.

Teejo George, 48, died at a hospital in Kannur on Saturday, just two days after being admitted with diarrhoea and body pain that doctors attributed to suspected rat fever, his brother Reejo George said over the phone.

Leptospirosis is a bacterial zoonotic disease that spreads mainly during the rainy season. According to the World Health Organisation, people usually contract it through contact with water, soil or food contaminated by the urine of infected animals (particularly rodents), which enters the body through cuts or mucous membranes.

In the first phase, people may have fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, vomiting, or diarrhoea. The person may feel better for a while but become ill again. Some people may suffer a more severe second phase with kidney or liver failure or inflammation of the membrane around the brain and spinal cord (meningitis), according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Teejo, who worked as a senior sales supervisor with an engineering consultancy company in Dubai, is survived by his mother and two brothers in Keralam and his wife and three school-going children in the UAE.

Company pays tribute

Announcing his death on social media, his company said Teejo joined on March 1, 1999 and dedicated more than 27 years of service to the organisation. It described him as someone who had become far more than a colleague, remembered for his kindness, humility, warm smile and the joy he brought to those around him.

“His unwavering dedication, positive spirit, and the relationships he built over the years have left a lasting mark on everyone who had the privilege of knowing him. His passing leaves a void that cannot be filled, and he will be deeply missed by all of us,” it added.

Hundreds of people, including some friends and colleagues who flew down from the UAE, attended Teejo's funeral on Sunday.