• CHERYL G. CRUZ
The City Health Office (CHO) reported May 4 the second leptospirosis death in Bacolod this year.
Dr. Grace Tan, head of the CHO Environmental Sanitation Division, said the fatality was a 47-year-old-male from Barangay Banago, who was admitted April 18 and died two days later.
He was rushed to the hospital “due to upward rolling of eyeballs” and seizure, Tan said, adding that no consultation was done prior to admission even when the victim was suffering from malaise, jaundice, and fever.
The first leptospirosis fatality in Bacolod this year was a 52-year-old-male from Barangay Villamonte, who sought consultation and was referred for admission Jan. 25 due to breathing difficulty. He died the following day.
The CHO also said it logged six cases with two deaths from Jan. 1 to April 26 this year, down by 25 percent from the eight cases with two deaths reported in the same period last year.
Banago has two leptospirosis cases, and one each from Villamonte, Estefania, Brgy. 1, and Mansilingan.
The Department of Health has been reminding everyone to seek medical attention if exposed to floodwater, even if there are no wounds, since leptospirosis symptoms may appear from an average of two weeks up to 30 days later.
Seek early medical consultation to ensure timely treatment and prevent complications if you experience any symptom, like fever or feeling feverish/chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue, and sometimes vomiting and diarrhea, the DOH added. | CGC
