Before you wade into that flood, read this report
Health department says leptospirosis cases often increase in areas where there is no proper drainage and flooding is prevalent
Eight persons in Central Visayas died of leptospirosis, a bacterial infection that spreads through the urine of infected animals, in the first half of the year.
Health officials said there were 50 reported cases of the infection, about 11 percent more than in the same months of 2017.
Leptospirosis causes flu-like symptoms but in severe instances can trigger chest pains and cause limbs to swell.
Persons who work with animals or who have to wade in water that might contain contaminated animals’ urine are more vulnerable. Communities prone to floods need to take precautions.
Eight people from Central Visayas, four of whom are from Cebu City, died of leptospirosis from January to June this year, the Department of Health (DOH) 7 said yesterday.
Aside from the eight fatalities, around 50 leptospirosis cases have been reported in different parts of the region since January this year, said Dr. Shelbay Blanco, head of DOH 7’s Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (Resu).
Blanco told SunStar Cebu that the number of cases reported from January to June this year is 11 percent higher compared to that of the same period last year, which saw 45 cases and nine deaths.
Cebu City has the most number of leptospirosis patients in the region with 11 cases, seven of whom were hospitalized. Four died.
In Cebu City, two of the four fatalities were reported in Barangay San Nicolas and one each in Barangays Suba and Bulacao.
One death each was reported in Compostela in Cebu and Ubay in Bohol and the cities of Naga and Mandaue, Blanco said.
The Cebu City Government has started its information drive on water-borne diseases, including leptospirosis.
According to Councilor Mary Ann delos Santos, deputy mayor for health, local health workers in the 80 barangays have been instructed to disseminate a public advisory on how to avoid the illness, its signs and symptoms and how to manage it.
“The risk of acquiring leptospirosis can be greatly reduced by not swimming or wading in water that might be contaminated with animal urine, or eliminating contact with potentially infected animals. Protective clothing or footwear should be worn by those exposed to contaminated water or soil be- cause of their job or recreational activities,” she told SunStar Cebu.
As of July 2018, the City Health Department (CHD) has recorded only seven cases of leptospirosis.
Delos Santos said that CHD recorded nine cases from January to July last year.
Second to Cebu City is LapuLapu City with four cases, and Ubay in Bohol with four cases, three of which are reported admissions and one death.
But Blanco said Cebu is still far from the current situation in Metro Manila, where 22 barangays reported a leptospirosis outbreak.
As of June 16, a total of 1,040 cases have been recorded nationwide, and 99 reported deaths.
Blanco said cases of leptospirosis often increase in areas where there is no proper drainage and flooding is prevalent.
Leptospirosis often occurs in persons with open wounds in the lower extremities and are often exposed to flood water.
It is transmitted by the urine of an infected animal, such as rats and mice, and is contagious as long as the urine is still moist.
Once infected, the person suffers from severe fever accompanied by chills, intense headache, severe muscle ache, abdominal pain, among others. Incubation period of the infection would last for seven to 12 days.
If not treated immediately, the infection could cause liver damage, kidney failure and internal bleeding and may lead to death.
With the rainy season now here, Blanco urged the public to follow precautions to avoid leptospirosis.
Blanco said that if exposed to flooding, one must check if his or her lower extremities have open wounds or not.
When the symptoms set in, one should immediately seek medical help. /