Jamaica has declared a deadly outbreak of leptospirosis, a bacterial disease often linked to contaminated water and rat urine, following Hurricane Melissa. The storm, which struck the island as a Category 5 hurricane on October 28, caused at least 45 deaths and damaged 146,000 structures. Since the storm, six people have died and 37 have fallen ill from leptospirosis, though only nine cases have been confirmed through lab testing due to ongoing power and communication outages. The disease causes flu-like symptoms such as fever, muscle pain, chills, vomiting, and jaundice, and can lead to kidney and liver failure in severe cases. The bacteria, Leptospira, can survive in moist soil for months, increasing the risk of infection in flood-affected areas. The outbreak underscores the public health risks posed by natural disasters, especially in regions with high rodent populations and poor sanitation.