MANDAUE City Hospital has not recorded any positive case of leptospirosis from the samples submitted for testing, according to its chief, Dr. Ligaya Lakambini Dargantes.
“Thankfully, none of the patients we tested have turned out positive for leptospirosis. Some doctors have requested tests, but so far, all results have come back negative,” Dargantes said.
She said the hospital currently does not have the capability to perform Leptospira testing onsite.
“The hospital cannot conduct leptospirosis tests. We send the samples out, usually to private hospitals,” she said.
Despite the lack of in-house testing, the hospital continues to manage patients based on their symptoms.
“If someone comes in for consultation, we treat them accordingly. Of course, we still need the leptospirosis test, but the symptoms they present allow us to give the appropriate medication,” she added.
Dargantes said doctors rely on clinical assessment while awaiting confirmatory testing.
“We use what we call a clinical eye. We manage the patient based on the symptoms they show,” she said.
The hospital provides Doxycycline as the standard treatment for suspected leptospirosis, while Azithromycin is given as an alternative.
“Doxycycline is the standard medication. If it’s not available, we give Azithromycin. But we don’t have a shortage of Doxycycline,” she assured.
Dargantes also explained the difference in patient management between the City Health Office and the hospital. She said both follow the same clinical system, but City Health has the advantage of being situated in the community.
“They can respond right away. Ideally, if City Health sees that a patient needs to be admitted, such as when they are dehydrated, that’s the time they refer them to the hospital,” she said.
However, she added that patients may still go directly to Mandaue City Hospital if they prefer.
“If patients come straight to the hospital, that’s perfectly fine, we have our Outpatient Department ready to manage them,” Dargantes said. (ABC)