- CHERYL G. CRUZ
Leptospirosis infections continue to rise in Bacolod City with 10 cases logged with one death last month, the City Health Office said Monday, Feb. 6.
Dr. Grace Tan, head of the CHO Environmental Sanitation Division, said this is 900 percent higher since only one patient, who died, was reported in the same period last year.
Tan said this year’s first fatality was a 69-year-old male from Barangay Taculing, whose onset of illness was logged on Dec. 29 last year, was admitted Jan. 3, and died the following day.
Leptospirosis is a disease associated with rainy season, she said. “Humans can get infected by wading or swimming in water contaminated with urine of infected animals, like mice/rats, pigs, dogs, or horses, among others.”
Signs and symptoms include fever, chills, headache, muscle pains, skin rashes, diarrhea, eye redness, or yellowish skin discoloration, the CHO said.
Tan said that of the cases logged last month, three came from Barangay Estefania, two in Bata, and one each in Punta Taytay, Taculing, Alangilan, Banago, and Mansilingan.
The best way to prevent leptospirosis is by ensuring sanitation and the proper disposal of garbage to avoid rat infestation.
“Avoid wading or swimming in floodwater. Wear boots if you cannot avoid wading, and always wash feet immediately. Take prophylaxis within 24 to 48 hours following exposure to contaminated water or soil,” she said.
Tan also reported 20 suspected hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) infections, with 19 cases belonging to the one to 10 year-old age range.
Estefania topped the list of barangays with reported cases at five, three each in Handumanan and Villamonte, two each in Banago and Taculing, and one case each in Brgy. 13, Bata, Singcang, Tangub, and Vista Alegre.
HFMD is a common childhood infectious illness, and signs and symptoms include sore throat, fever, and painful ulcers or blisters in the hands and feet, the thighs, or buttocks. It spreads by direct contact with an infected person, through kissing, hugging, or sharing utensils, touching contaminated objects and surfaces, and via droplets from coughing or sneezing.
Potential outbreaks could be controlled or prevented through regular hand washing, keeping an infected child or person at home to avoid transmission, avoid sharing of items, and through disinfection or wiping surfaces with bleach, Tan said.
The CHO continues to check cases in the barangays, while the Department of Education monitors possible clustering of cases in schools to prevent any spread of the infection, she added./CGC
