WEEKS after the massive flooding that hit Metro Manila, the San Lazaro Hospital (SLH) in Manila is seeing a surge in leptospirosis cases.
Data from SLH showed that as of August 6, it has 69 leptospirosis cases. It also showed 10 deaths due to leptospirosis in August alone, which is higher compared to the 20 leptospirosis cases recorded for the whole month of July when there was only one leptospirosis death at the SLH.
Last month, torrential rains and massive flooding caused by tropical cyclones “Crising,” “Dante,” and “Emong,” as well as the southwest monsoon, caused massive flooding in several regions, including Metro Manila.
Leptospirosis is a disease caused by bacteria that is spread through the urine of infected animals that gets mixed in floodwaters or soil.
Of the total leptospirosis cases in August, 45 were found to be severe cases, followed by 24 moderate cases. The cases involved 59 males and 10 females.
Most of those infected with leptospirosis were 19-30 years old with 27; followed by 14 cases in the 31-40 year old age bracket.
Thirty five cases of leptospirosis were due to multiple exposures to floodwaters, while 34 cases were because of single exposure.
SLH data also noted that 39 cases were from non work-related exposure to floods, while 30 individuals were exposed to floods due to work-related activities.
