MANILA — Metro Manila, Western Visayas and Cagayan Valley have reported the most number of leptospirosis cases this year, the Department of Health (DOH) said Friday.

Some 1,411 cases of the disease were recorded from Jan. 1 to Aug. 6, the DOH said. This is 22 percent higher compared to the same period in 2021, which have 1,157 cases.

Of the total leptospirosis cases, the capital region accounted 19 percent or 263 cases, followed by Western Visayas with 12 percent or 171 cases, and Cagayan Valley with 12 percent or 169 cases.

In the recent period from July 10 to Aug. 6, 2022 where 251 cases were tallied, the same regions had the highest number of cases, except Western Visayas.

Metro Manila logged 73 new cases (29 percent), followed by Central Luzon with 35 cases (14 percent), and Cagayan Valley with 22 cases (9 percent).

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In a press briefing, DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said Bicol Region, Central Visayas, and Davao Region breached the alert and epidemic threshold within the past 4 morbidity weeks.

A total of 188 leptospirosis-related deaths or a 13.3 percent case fatality rate have been reported. The deaths occurred in the following months:

• January: 14
• February: 11
• March: 23
• April: 32
• May: 29
• June: 29
• July: 50

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Leptospirosis is an illness transmitted through mud or water contaminated by the urine of infected animals, the DOH said.

It is characterized by fever, headache, chills, muscle pains, conjunctival suffusion (red eyes), and less frequently by meningitis, rash, jaundice (yellowish discoloration of the skin and eyes), or kidney failure.

"Ating paalala, ngayong tag-ulan, kung makaiwas kayong lumusong sa mga baha, huwag muna pong lumusong," Vergeire said.

"Kung kailangan po talaga, magbota po tayo. Kung wala tayong bota, mag-plastic po tayo ng paa. Pagdating sa bahay, hugasan ng maigi ang paa.

"Kung meron kayong sugat sa paa, pumunta na po kayo agad sa inyong health center para mabigyan kayo ng post-exposure prophylaxis para sa leptospirosis," she added.

Courtesy of DOH