See a doc, DOH tells leptospirosis sufferers

Health Assistant Secretary Eric Tayag: Don’t self-medicate. LYN RILLON

MANILA, Philippines—Don’t self-medicate.

The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday warned people with leptospiroris not to try to heal themselves, saying that this would be like playing Russian roulette.

Health Assistant Secretary Eric Tayag also warned the public that the leptospirosis bacteria might also be found in the mud left behind by the floods that struck Metro Manila and surrounding provinces last week.

“You who self-medicate, you’re playing Russian roulette. That means you are complacent that you will not get sick,” Tayag said in an interview.

He urged those who suspect that they have the dreaded water-borne disease to immediately contact a doctor or go to a hospital, adding that the doxycycline tablets the DOH distributed to the public by the thousands earlier were not enough protection against leptosiproris.

“It’s a prophylaxis. It is not a drug or a guarantee that you’ll not get leptospriosis. It was distributed so that the chances of you getting it are smaller, but it does not mean you’re already safe,” Tayag said.

“It’s also not meant for pregnant women… The DOH expects the first leptospirosis cases to be reported this weekend,” he added.

Tayag said people cleaning their homes of the mud left behind by the floodwaters should be wary of the leptospirosis bacteria.

“The mud could be contaminated with the urine of rats. They must be careful,” he said.

Tayag said leptospirosis symptoms include fever, body aches (“particularly when you pinch your legs and they’re painful”), swelling of the liver, yellow skin color, difficulty in urinating and tea-colored urine.—Philip C. Tubeza