Knowledge Transfer and Collaborative Networking on Building Resilience Against Leptospirosis

Knowledge transfer and collaborative networking on building resilience against leptospirosis among visitors in recreational forests Terengganu, Malaysia.

Almost a year ago we received the news that our allocation to the SEAOHUN Small Grant Program 2021 was accepted. We were jumping with joy! This is the beginning of Project Lepto- a project that we have initiated in collaboration with Faculty of Science and Marine Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (FSME UMT) with Institute of Tropical Biodiversity and Sustainable Development, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (ITBSD UMT), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Institute for Medical Research (IMR).

Recreational forests in Malaysia are categorized as one of the important hotspots of leptospirosis outbreaks. Previous studies have indicated the risk of leptospirosis in recreational forests, and focused mainly on water-soil environmental reservoirs. However, information on the animal reservoirs remains under-highlighted.