NKTI logs 5 leptospirosis deaths since June 1 amid Habagat rains

At least five deaths have been recorded at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) due to leptospirosis following weeks of heavy rains and flooding brought by the Southwest Monsoon, or Habagat.

In a “24 Oras” report by Mariz Umali on Friday, the most recent death occurred at around 4 p.m. after the patient’s condition progressed to pulmonary hemorrhage.

In total, five patients have died since June 1, while NKTI has recorded 19 leptospirosis cases so far.

Among the patients at NKTI is 26-year-old Heartling Alicaya, who had no choice but to wade through floodwaters due to the nature of his work. He had to undergo peritoneal dialysis.

Reynalin Leal, 42, is also among the leptospirosis patients undergoing hemodialysis. Last week, she waded through floodwaters with an open wound.

“Nilalagnat na po ako tapos mabigat yung pakiramdam ko na parang ayaw ko nang bumangon. Ang isip ko lang non trangkaso lang, baka dahil lang sa ulan,” Leal recalled.

(I had a fever and felt so weak that I didn’t even want to get out of bed. I thought it was just the flu, maybe because of the rain.)

Mario Antonio Abulencia, 71, contracted leptospirosis despite not wading through floodwaters. Doctors suspect he contracted the disease because his house was infested with rats.

“‘Yung tinutulugan ko bagong lipat kasi ako roon eh, bodega kasi dati ‘yon. Palagay ko andon ‘yung mga daga. Hindi naman po ako nakalusong sa mga baha eh, wala rin akong sugat tapos naaalala ko meron pala akong ingrown,” Abulencia said.

(I had just moved into the room where I sleep. It used to be a storage room. I think that’s where the rats were. I didn’t wade through floodwaters, and I didn’t have any wounds. But then I remembered that I had an ingrown toenail.)

According to NKTI nephrologist Dr. Arlene Lamban-Crosson, most of the admitted patients failed to recognize their symptoms early, resulting in severe cases by the time they reached the hospital.

“Karamihan late kasi, so dapat mare-recognize din ng mga tao kung paano ba ang sintomas. “‘Pag na-expose ka, pakiramdam mo na ‘yung sarili mo if you feel unwell, meron kang lagnat, sumakit ‘yung muscles, sumakit yung joints mo,” Lamban-Crosson said.

(Most patients come in late, so people should learn to recognize the symptoms. Once you’ve been exposed, monitor how you feel. If you feel unwell, have a fever, or experience muscle or joint pain, seek medical attention.)

“Kasi malala na kapag nanilaw ka na… kapag umihi ka ng medyo iba na ang kulay o di ka na umiihi, malala na ‘yon. ‘Yun ‘yung mga napupunta sa amin, severe cases na,” she added.

(It is already severe when you start turning yellow, when your urine changes color, or when you stop urinating. Those are the cases that come to us—severe cases.)

At San Lazaro Hospital, leptospirosis cases have reached 50, with 24 new admissions in the last 24 hours and two reported deaths.

For the hospital’s medical chief, the surge in cases was alarming.

“Alarming na sa amin ang hundred percent increase, kasi hindi pa natin nakikita ang peak ng leptospirosis surge. Usually, ang leptospirosis may incubation period from two days to 30 days,” San Lazaro Hospital Medical Chief Dr. David Suplico said.

(A 100% increase is already alarming for us because we have not yet reached the peak of the leptospirosis surge. Leptospirosis usually has an incubation period of two to 30 days.)

“Ang leptospirosis kasi is bacteria na kayang lunasan ng pag-inom ng antibiotic. Ayaw namin na pumunta sila sa ospital na severe na. Ang severe leptospirosis ay inaatake na ang vital organs ng katawan,” he added.

(Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that can be treated with antibiotics. We don’t want patients to come to the hospital only when their condition has become severe. Severe leptospirosis affects the body’s vital organs.)

According to Umali’s report, symptoms can be categorized as follows:

Mild cases: Fever, body aches, and red eyes.
Severe cases: Coughing up blood, yellowing of the eyes or skin, and decreased urine output.

Authorities continue to urge the public to avoid wading through floodwaters, especially when they have open wounds. If unavoidable, people are advised to wear rubber boots and properly cover any open wounds. —Lyjah Tiffany Bonzo/VBL, GMA News