DOH: Leptospirosis cases down by 66% but surge still possible

The number of leptospirosis cases recorded from November 8 to 14 this year was 66 percent lower than those recorded during the same period in 2019, the Department of Health (DOH) said Wednesday.

The DOH said 1,070 leptospirosis cases were logged in Monitoring Week 46 of this year compared to 3,140 from the previous year.

Out of the 228 leptospirosis cases tallied from October 12 to November 14, 63 percent were from Metro Manila, 17 percent each in Camarines Sur and Rizal, and 10 percent in Cebu.

Incidence rates were highest in Cagayan Valley at 4.7 per 100,000 population, followed by the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) at 3 per 100,000.

“Despite that, case fatality rate in Region 2 and CAR are lower compared to other regions,” the DOH said.

Cagayan Valley was among the areas hardest hit by Typhoon Ulysses, which caused massive flooding in the region. 

The DOH also said leptospirosis cases in Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol region, Northern Mindanao, CAR, and Metro Manila “exceeded the epidemic threshold” while Davao Region reached the “alert” threshold.

Six people have died of leptospirosis in the Bicol region. 

The DOH earlier said it feared a possible medical crisis due to a surge in leptospirosis cases that followed the string of typhoons that lashed the country in November. 

“With the onslaught of the recent typhoons, we already prepared for the possible increase in the number of leptospirosis cases in our hospitals,” it said.

“We’ve prepositioned the necessary medicine and supplies to be able to adequately address any possible rise in cases,” the DOH added.

Health authorities urged the public to secure the proper medication or prophylaxis from local barangay health stations if they were exposed to floods.—Julia Mari Ornedo/LDF, GMA News