Lepto patients referred to other hospitals

MANILA, Philippines — With the continuous increase in leptospirosis cases in the country, patients suffering from this disease are now being diverted to two other public hospitals, the Department of Health said yesterday.

The DOH said there are other big hospitals that can handle dialysis apart from the National Kidney and Transplant Institute and San Lazaro Hospital (SLH), which presently lack manpower following the floods caused by Typhoon Carina.

Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital has several dialysis machines.

“We used that as our COVID facility, that’s why we have plenty of dialysis machines (there),” Herbosa said.

“We built up the capacity of that (hospital) so some of those ‘overflow-ers’ (those causing overcrowding in other hospitals), they are being brought there,” he added.

The DOH chief also said that it is the same situation for the Philippine General Hospital.

“They were also experiencing a lot of surge (in leptospirosis cases). We call it a surge of cases and the difficult thing about leptospirosis outbreak is they need critical care,” Herbosa noted.

He explained that critical care means “there is a need for a high level of personnel to take care of you, dialysis to take care of the renal effects and of course, antibiotics.”

He likewise said that the incubation period for leptospirosis can be anywhere from five to 30 days. “Even a month after the flooding, you can still have leptospirosis,” the health official added.

On Thursday, the DOH said it recorded a further increase in leptospirosis cases, with the elderly accounting for the majority of patients.

Latest data available showed there were 523 new leptospirosis cases recorded from Aug. 8 to 13.

Meanwhile, its epidemiologic data showed the country has already recorded a total of 2,115 leptospirosis cases this year.

Swimming ban

Amid the concerning uptick in leptospirosis cases in Metro Manila, the health department is calling for a ban on swimming in floodwaters.

“If you are forced to wade in floodwaters, you’re stranded and you have no wounds, using soap and water should be fine and then dry it up immediately after exposure. But if you have wounds, it is the decision of the doctor to give antibiotics – doxycycline or penicillin to actually give it as a prophylactic for exposure, especially if you are high risk,” Herbosa said.

Sen. Bong Go, chairman of the Senate committee on health, emphasized the need for a comprehensive strategy involving active community participation as recent data revealed over 60 percent of leptospirosis admissions at SLH.

“Let’s be united in the response to leptospirosis. Being alert and prepared can save lives,” Go said.

He underscored the importance of community awareness about the risks of floodwater exposure and the critical need for early symptom recognition and medical consultation.

“Let’s follow the reminder of our health workers, let’s follow the health protocols,” Go urged. – Cecille Suerte Felipe