Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 20)— The number of leptospirosis cases nationwide dropped by more than 60 percent, but the Department of Health reminded the local government units to properly collect and dispose solid waste to stop bacteria-carrying animals from spreading the disease.
The health department recorded 916 cases of leptospirosis with 106 deaths from January 1 to July 27 this year. This number is lower by 65 percent compared to the 2,618 leptospirosis cases reported in the same period last year, the Department of Health noted.
Metro Manila had the most number of cases of the preventable bacterial disease with 307. Calabarzon came in second with 112, followed by Bicol Region with 92, and then Cagayan Valley and Central Luzon with 75 each, based on a DOH data. The most affected age group was 21 to 24 years old.
DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III expressed hope that there would not be a spike in leptospirosis cases, which is common during rainy season, like last year.
The Health chief then urged the local government units to do their mandate of practicing proper solid waste management to prevent leptospirosis and other common diseases during rainy season because improper garbage disposal and collection may pose a health risk.
“We are calling on local governments to make sure that garbage is regularly and efficiently collected and not be left in the open for dogs, cats to scour them or rats to urinate there. Once this happens and there is flooding, as we all know, that is the number one cause of leptospirosis: contaminated flood water,” said Duque.
“Well it is really a problem because the environmental sanitation [and] hygiene do affect the health of our people,” Duque said.
He also asked the national government to “ensure that flood waters are drained, especially if there is accumulation of stagnant water.”
DOH said some early clinical manifestations of leptospirosis are high fever, muscle pain, chills, redness in the eyes, abdominal pain, hemorrhages in skin and mucous membranes (including pulmonary bleeding), vomiting, diarrhea and rashes. Some cases may have yellowish body discoloration, dark-colored urine and light stools, low urine output and severe headache.
