• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Negros Occidental, including the highly-urbanized Bacolod City, logged 162 cases of leptospirosis, including 15 deaths, as of Sept. 20, data of the health offices showed.
A total of 137 cases with eight deaths were recorded in Negros Occidental while 25 cases with seven fatalities were logged in Bacolod City.
Dr. Ma. Girlie Pinongan, provincial health officer, said they have not monitored rising cases of leptospirosis in the 31 municipalities and component cities amid continued flooding in some areas of Negros Occidental.
Still, Pinongan said they continue to remind Negrenses to avoid wading in floodwaters to prevent leptospirosis infection.
Leptospirosis, a common disease during the rainy season, is caused by infected rats and contaminated soil and water.
Symptoms include fever or feeling feverish/chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue, and sometimes vomiting and diarrhea.
Meanwhile, Pinongan reported the continuing decline of dengue cases in the past several weeks in Negros Occidental.
However, dengue cases rose from 137 cases, with seven deaths, from Jan. 1 to Sept. 20 this year compared to only 86 cases for the same period last year.
In Bacolod City, the City Health Office recorded 857 dengue cases, with six deaths, as of Sept. 20.
It noted a decrease of 48.6 percent, compared to 1,667 cases with four fatalities in 2024. | GB
