7 leptospirosis patients die in San Lazaro Hospital

The San Lazaro Hospital in Manila has recorded seven deaths due to leptospirosis in the first five days of August.

According to Maki Pulido’s Tuesday report on “24 Oras,” among the fatalities is a 16-year-old teenager who died due to acute renal or kidney failure.

A doctor at San Lazaro noted that all seven fatalities waded through the floods caused by the continuous downpour brought by the Southwest Monsoon (Habagat) and tropical cyclones.

“Napapansin namin na ang severity ng mga sakit ngayon medyo aggressive. Sa tingin namin na within two to seven days, nagkakaroon sila ng komplikasyon sa sa kidney, liver, respiratory system, o lungs. Nakikita namin na hindi na sila nakakaihi o hirap silang huminga. Kailangan namin i-ventilator,” said Dr. David Suplico, San Lazaro Hospital medical center chief.

(“We’ve noticed that currently, the severity of illnesses is quite aggressive. We think that within two to seven days, patients are having complications in the kidneys, liver, respiratory system, or lungs. We’ve observed that they can no longer urinate or are having difficulty breathing. We need to put them on a ventilator.)

As of August 5, 45 leptospirosis patients are confined at the San Lazaro Hospital, of which 15 are minors.

Suplico noted that each case can already be considered a complicated case, as the patients’ kidneys, lungs, and liver are affected.

According to San Lazaro Hospital’s data, most of the leptospirosis patients are from Metro Manila, Cavite, and Laguna, with most of them being from Manila.

“Usually, nakikita namin ito sa mga pasyente na riders na lumusong sa baha na may paltos ang mga paa at sila ay mga na-confine sa aming ospital,” Suplico said.

(We usually observed that patients  confined in our hospital are motorcycle riders who waded through floodwaters with blisters on their feet.)

Four of the confined leptospirosis patients are in the intensive care unit.

This included the husband of Marlyn Benitez, who, despite wanting to get prophylaxis, cannot do so because they cannot go to the health center due to the flood.

Meanwhile, the Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center in Marikina City logged 44 leptospirosis cases as of August 5, most of which are from the city.

The Department of Health has recorded more than 500 leptospirosis cases in July 2025.

However, there is still no data on how many have contracted leptospirosis due to the successive weather disturbances.

Dr. Imelda Mateo of Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center reminded the public to wear boots when braving the flood or to take prophylaxis.

“Wag pong ipagsawalanag bahala kasi makakamatay ang leptospirosis (leptospirosis can be deadly, so take it seriously),” she said. — Mariel Celine Serquiña/RF, GMA Integrated News