CONTINUOUS rainfall last July 2025 has led to a significant rise in leptospirosis cases in Central Visayas, bringing the total number of recorded victims to 141 in only seven months.
Department of Health (DOH) 7 Assistant Director Jonathan Erasmo said the 141 cases, recorded from Jan. 1 to Aug. 5, were from Cebu, Bohol and other urbanized cities in the region. The number is a sharp rise from the 89 cases reported in the entire year of 2024.
“If you noticed in July, there were successive tropical storms, and although they were in Manila or Luzon, we were affected due to monsoon rains that caused flooding here in Metro Cebu,” Erasmo said in Cebuano.
Last July 18, the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council placed the city under a state of calamity after massive floods inundated communities and resulted to traffic gridlocks that lasted hours.
Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that spreads through the urine of infected animals, such as rats. Humans can contract it through contact with contaminated floodwaters, soil, or food, especially if they have open cuts or wounds.
In 2024, there were four leptospirosis-related deaths in the region, including two in Cebu City.
Erasmo could not yet provide the number of fatalities for 2025. / CDF