Leptospirosis has reached its epidemic threshold in Quezon City

 

Leptospirosis has reached its epidemic threshold in Quezon City, with 43 new cases recorded in just seven days from July 24 to 30, health officials there reported last Sunday.

“Epidemic threshold” refers to the value used by epediomologist to determine if an infectious disease will spread further or die out.

In fact, the Department of Health is now on the alert as it anticipates a rise in leptospirosis cases due to the rainfall and flooding caused by three recent tropical cyclones and the southwest monsoon.

But even before this year, the disease has shown an increasing trend nationwide since an outbreak in 2020, according  an article published in November 2023 in the Annals of Medicine & Surgery.

To appreciate how quickly the cases increased, the article pointed out that there 182 cases recorded in 2020, 1,661 in, 2021, and 2,794 in 2022.

Here’s an excerpt from the abstract of that article:

Leptospirosis is prevalent in the Philippines due to its location in the tropics along the typhoon belt. Outbreaks typically occur after floods or heavy rainfall in flood-prone places like Metro Manila.

Therefore, leptospirosis epidemics in urban areas have been linked to the growth of slum areas, inadequate waste management, heavy rainfall, and flooding.

These factors create ecological conditions that facilitate the spread of rat-borne diseases.

in rural areas, leptospirosis is described as an occupational illness among agricultural and animal workers in rural settings.

Note the phrases “growth of slum areas” and “inadequate waste management.” Government officials have regularly blamed them for causing floods, which in turn spreads the Leptospira bacteria.

Clearly, those two urban problems need government action — not only to curb leptospirosis cases but to solve a host of other problems as well.

Meanwhile, as that action may take a long time coming, here are two articles you may want to consult first to avoid the disease.