Leyte: 1 dead, 13 down with leptospirosis

TACLOBAN CITY—A 58-year-old man died while 13 other persons have been afflicted with leptospirosis.

Doctor Gloria Fabregas, consultant of Tacloban Mayor Alfred Romualdez, disclosed that a man from Palo town was confirmed to have died due to leptospirosis on Nov. 20 at Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC) in Tacloban City.

Six of the 13 cases of leptospirosis monitored by health authorities were from Tacloban, while the rest were from Palo, Jaro and Alangalang towns, all in Leyte province, Fabregas said.

Fabregas said they expected the number of leptospirosis cases to increase as the city and other parts of Leyte experience continuing rain.

The 13 cases reported from Nov. 9-26 were treated at  EVRMC.

EVRMC served as the command center of the Department of Health (DOH) after Supertyphoon “Yolanda” struck central Philippines.

The command center, however, has been moved to the regional DOH office at the government center in Palo.

In anticipation of a possible surge of leptospirosis cases in the city and other typhoon-hit areas in Leyte, the DOH has distributed doxycycline, an antibiotic, to prevent the spread of the disease, Fabregas said.

She urged those who wade in flooded areas to take the doxycycline capsule since the risk is high that these areas are contaminated with urine from rats.

Rat urine can cause leptospirosis if it comes into contact with open wounds.