AMID the flooding brought by torrential rains in several areas in Luzon, the Department of Health (DOH) called on the public anew to avoid wading in floodwaters or risk being infected with leptospirosis.
In a press conference last Tuesday, DOH Officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire asked the public to take all the necessary precautions to avoid getting leptospirosis.
“Be careful in wading in floodwaters. You must wear boots if wading is really necessary. If you have wounds in your feet, avoid wading in floodwaters,” said Vergeire.
“When it’s raining and flooding, cases of leptospirosis really increase,” she added.
Torrential rains hit majority of Luzon areas last Tuesday, resulting in massive flooding, especially in rural areas.
Hundreds of people were evacuated while the government suspended work and classes in Metro Manila as well as in the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Bulacan, Zambales, and Bataan.
Leptospirosis is an illness transmitted through mud or flood water that is contaminated by the urine of infected animals, such as rats.
Its symptoms include fever, headache, chills, muscle pains (myalgia), conjunctival suffusion (red eyes), as well as meningitis, rash, jaundice (yellowish discoloration of the skin and eyes), or kidney failure.
Based on the latest data from the DOH, 1,411 leptospirosis cases have been reported from January 1 to August 6, 22 percent higher compared to the 1,157 leptospirosis cases recorded during the same period last year.
The number of deaths due to leptospirosis this year is also up to 188, compared to 118 during the same period in 2021.