A 24-year-old man died from suspected leptospirosis in Bacolod City on August 5, 2024, after wading in flood water.
City Health Office (CHO) records showed the fatality, a resident of Barangay Estefania and an Information Technology graduate, had a history of wading in flood water on July 28.
Dr. Grace Tan, head of the CHO Environment Sanitation Division, said the onset of illness the victim was on July 29 and admitted to a hospital on August 5.
“Unfortunately, the patient did not survive and he was the sixth to succumb to leptospirosis this year,” she said.
CHO records showed the number of leptospirosis cases in Bacolod City dropped by 76.2 percent from January to August 5 this year compared to last year.
Tan said that they listed 15 leptospirosis cases, with six deaths, in the said period.
Last year, there were 63 cases with 10 fatalities in the same period.
Of the 15 cases, Barangays 35, Pta. Taytay and Pahanocoy topped the list with two cases each, followed by Barangays 6, 12, 39, Alijis, Pta. Taytay, Vista Alegre, Mansilingan, Felisa, Estegania, and Mandalagan with one case each.
Tan said the most common reasons for complications and death include health-seeking behavior and denial of leptospirosis exposure.
She said they were conducting information dissemination on appropriate garbage management and disposal to prevent the spread of leptospirosis.
Tan urged Bacolodnons with a history of wading or contact with water or ground possibly contaminated with leptospira in rat or animal urine to go to their nearest health center or private medical doctor for prophylaxis as soon as possible, segregate and manage garbage properly, and avoid wading or coming in contact with “tubig baha” or any damp, dirty ground or soil as this may have leptospira organisms./MAP