The Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday, Aug. 15 said the majority of leptospirosis deaths have been reported in Metro Manila, following a surge in cases caused by the widespread flooding from Typhoon Carina and the enhanced southwest monsoon (habagat) last month.

In a televised public briefing, DOH Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo reported 523 new leptospirosis cases in DOH hospitals nationwide from Aug. 8 to 13.

This period corresponds to the two-week incubation period following the floods on July 24.

So far, there have been 43 reported deaths, including 41 adults and two children.

While Domingo did not provide an exact number of deaths in Metro Manila, he confirmed that the region has the highest number of fatalities due to leptospirosis.

Among the new leptospirosis cases, 81 percent (423 cases) are adults and 19 percent (100 cases) are children.

Domingo also noted that eight patients are currently on mechanical ventilators, and 243 are either recommended for or already undergoing dialysis.

Surge capacity plan

Domingo pointed out that DOH already anticipated an increase in leptospirosis cases two weeks after the onslaught of Typhoon Carina and the intensified southwest monsoon

“Ang incubation period o ang panahon kung kailan lumalabas ang symptoms ng leptospirosis ay mula seven to 14 days on average, maaaring tumanggal hanggang 30 days. Pero ito na yung two weeks from the time of Carina (The incubation period for leptospirosis, during which symptoms typically develop, ranges from seven to 14 days but can extend up to 30 days. We are now at the two-week mark from the time of Typhoon Carina),” he said.

Domingo explained that the DOH has activated a surge capacity plan. This means hospitals that previously allocated, for instance, 10 hospitals beds for leptospirosis have now increased this to 20 or 30 beds.

At the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI), he said additional beds have been set up in the gym to expand capacity and accommodate more patients.

Domingo said one symptom of moderate to severe leptospirosis cases is reduced urine output due to the temporary damage the leptospira bacteria cause to the kidneys.

As a result, patients require dialysis while antibiotics work to treat the infection.

“Sa ngayon marami tayong kama. In fact ang unang abiso ng DOH noong nakita namin na dumadami ang dagsa ng pasyente, hindi lamang sa NKTI ang kaya gumamot ng leptospirosis patients (We currently have ample bed capacity. In fact, the DOH's initial notice emphasized that, as the number of patients surged, the ability to treat leptospirosis was not limited to NKTI alone),” he said.

Domingo urged the public to contact DOH through the following hotline: landline (02) 8531-0037 or mobile number 0920-283-2758 to find out where beds are available.