• CHERYL G. CRUZ
Two new leptospirosis deaths were logged in Bacolod this month, bringing the number of fatalities to five since the start of 2025, the City Health Office (CHO) said June 15.
A 57-year-old female from Barangay Handumanan was admitted June 8 and diagnosed with severe leptospirosis, the CHO said, adding the patient died the following day.
Four days prior to admission, the patient had breathing difficulty, with fever and occasional cough, but did not seek consultation.
The fourth lepto death was a 43-year-old male from Brgy. 21, also with history of wading in floodwater.
He was admitted May 25 and diagnosed with Weil’s disease, or the acute, severe form of leptospirosis. He died June 3, the CHO said.
The first three deaths were a 17-year-old male in Brgy. Bata, who had history of swimming in river, and died in the last week of May; a 47-year-old-male from Barangay Banago, who was admitted April 18, and died two days later; and a 52-year-old-male from Barangay Villamonte, who sought consultation and was referred for admission Jan. 25 but died the following day, the CHO said.
It added that leptospirosis cases this year increased by 25 percent, with 10 cases with five deaths in the first 23 weeks of 2025, or from Jan. 1 to June 7. In the same period last year, eight cases with two deaths were recorded.
Of the 10 cases, barangays Banago and Handumanan have two cases each, and the rest in Estefania, Brgy. 12, Mansilingan, Bata, Villamonte, and Brgy. 21.
The CHO and the Department of Health have 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, they added.
Leptospirosis, a common disease during the rainy season, is caused by infected rats and contaminated soil and water, among others. Residents in flood-prone areas, or those with history of wading in floodwater, are susceptible to contracting it, the DOH stressed. | CGC
