Leptospirosis deaths, cases still rising
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III visited patients stricken with leptospirosis at the East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City yesterday, assuring the public that the DOH is closely monitoring the increasing number of cases of the flood-borne disease.
Duque confirmed that in Metro Manila, there are already 40 deaths due to leptospirosis out of the 261 cases recorded; and that 97 patients were in Quezon City.
There were also 29 leptospirosis cases in Manila; 26 in Taguig City; 20 in Parañaque City; and 18 in Caloocan City as of July 1.
These figures, as well as the numbers on a national scale, are already bigger than the number of cases of leptospirosis in recent years.
Asked by reporters if this is an indication of an impending outbreak, Duque said: “I hope it does not happen, but we are monitoring closely.”
“The picture here is, as long as the rainy days are here, then we will expect additional cases of leptospirosis,” he said.