Old wounds reopened

Not only did the country record an unusually large number of cases this year, but it also recorded one of the highest casualty rates in recent years, with the number of deaths marking an increase of 10 percentage points compared to the previous year.

"Increasing human interaction with wild environments, habitat destruction, the establishment of small urbanizations in rural areas, and the effects of climate change contribute to the appearance of cases outside historically endemic areas," the ministry said.

Experts blame climate change and habitat destruction for the rise in number of cases of the disease, which is usually caused by exposure to the urine or feces of infected rodents.