Leptospirosis in town

Few months earlier the National Capital Region (NCR) specifically the Metro Manila
experienced unfavorable weather, which results to scattered flooding and the increase of water-borne
diseases such as leptospirosis.
According to the Department of Health (DOH) secretary Francisco Duque said that they recorded
1,227 leptospirosis cases in Metro Manila from January to August 2018. This increase for cases are 358%
higher than the recorded cases during the same period in 2017. Those numbers are very numerous and
alarming in term of the safety of our health.
In Nationwide, The DOH recorded a 105% increase in cases (2,229 cases as of August 2018, as
compared to the 1,085 cases during the same period in 2017. Duque said that “ 50% of the burden of
leptospirosis in the Philippines was from Metro Manila.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that
affects both humans and animals. Humans become infected through direct contact with the urine of
infected animals or with a urine-contaminated environment. The bacteria enter the body through cuts or
abrasions on the skin, or through the mucous membranes of the mouth, nose and eyes. Person-to-person
transmission is rare. One of the common example of a susceptible host or carrier of this disease is rats and
mice.
Furthermore, leptospirosis or leptospira is identified as the causative agent of the several human
syndrome Weil’s disease about 100 years ago almost simultaneously, but independently by workers from
japan and europe. Since that time leptospires have been isolated from almost all mammalian species on
every continent except Antarctica, with leptospirosis now recognized as the most widespread zoonosis
worldwide and also a major cause of disease in many domestic animal species.
The symptoms of leptospirosis is ranging up to minor to severe, this may include: yellowish
discoloration of the skin or eyes due to kidney failure; dark colored urine; light stools; low urine output;
severe headache; liver failure; and meningitis.
Moreover, Leptospirosis is treated with antibiotics, such as doxycycline or penicillin, which
should be given early in the course of the disease. Intravenous antibiotics may be required for persons
with more severe symptoms. Persons with symptoms suggestive of leptospirosis should contact a
healthcare provider, said by Centers for Disease Control Center.
Why there is a increase in number of cases?
Cuts and abrasions on the skin is the one of the most common ways to infect a human. It can also
be acquired when infected animal urine gets contact with the mucous membrane in the eyes, mouth and
nose. Usually in the raining season, individual are usually contract leptospirosis by wading and swimming
in contaminated flood water.
Early identification and treatment is of highest importance to avoid fatal complications.
Reoccurance of symptoms after an initial period of illness will be more severe and potentially
life-threatening. As such, it is important to see a doctor as soon as symptoms become apparent.
Swimming or wading in potentially contaminated water or flood water; exposure to contaminated
water; numbers of rodents in the households and the cleanliness in the house are the major factors and
cause of the widespread of this disease. So the World Health Organization suggests to be preventive,
specially in domestic areas like the Metro Manila.