Leptospirosis News Today
Honduras and the Philippines
Honduras
The Ministry of Health has issued a preventive epidemiological alert for leptospirosis at the national level that is valid for one month starting November 6 throughout the country.
The head of the Health Surveillance Unit, Dr. Lorenzo Pavón explained that the preventive alert is due "because currently many people are being temporarily mobilized to shelters and that is where there may be rodents (rats) that transmit the disease through their urine or feces that contaminate food or drinking water.
Through November 4, Honduras has seen a total of 353 patients suspected of leptospirosis, including 26 confirmed cases.
The confirmed cases have been reported in the following municipalities: Metropolitana del MDC 2, Metropolitana SPS 3, Atlántida 1, Copán 2, Cortés 5, El ParaÃso 3, Francisco Morazán 3, Gracias a Dios 1, Lempira 1, Santa Bárbara 2 and Yoro 3. The majority are from the municipalities of the department of Cortés added to the health region of San Pedro Sula.
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Leptospirosis is an endemic disease in Honduras in both the human and animal population, occurring in the form of isolated cases and seasonal outbreaks.
Since 1998, 1,239 cases of human Leptospirosis have been reported, with the highest number of cases occurring in 1998 (172 cases), which coincided with the passage of Hurricane Mitch.
The Philippines
In Bacolod City, the capital of the province of Negros Occidental in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines, health officials with the city report a 176 percent increase in leptospirosis cases in 2023.
Officials report 66 cases of leptospirosis, including 14 deaths, have been recorded this year, up from 2022 when only 29 cases and five were fatalities were reported.
Nationally, the Philippines has reported an increase in leptospirosis.
The latest disease surveillance report of the Department of Health (DOH) showed that 4,274 cases were recorded from Jan. 1 to Sept. 16.
The cases were 75 percent higher compared to the 2,446 reported during the same period last year.
Concerning fatalities, 477 deaths have been recorded to date this year compared to 350 last year.
The majority of cases (87 percent) are among males, particularly those aged 20 to 49 who are engaged in outdoor work such as farming. Six regions in the Philippines have experienced an increase in leptospirosis cases this year.
According to the CDC, Leptospirosis is a disease caused by bacteria. Infected animals spread the bacteria through their urine (pee). When infected animals pee, the bacteria get into the water or soil and can live there for weeks to months.
You can be infected if you touch fresh water, soil, or other objects contaminated with infected animal urine. The most common ways to get infected is urine or contaminated water getting in your eyes, nose, mouth, or broken skin (such as a cut or scratch). You can also get infected by eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water.
Some people with leptospirosis do not have any symptoms. When symptoms occur, they can include fever, headache, chills, muscle aches, vomiting, jaundice (yellow eyes and skin), red eyes, stomach pain, diarrhea, and sometimes a rash. Without proper treatment with antibiotics, people with leptospirosis may develop serious problems with their kidneys, liver, or lining of the brain and spinal cord (meningitis). In some cases, leptospirosis can cause death.
If wading in flood water cannot be avoided, the Philippines DOH advises everyone to wear boots, cover open wounds with plaster, and keep flood water from entering eyes, ears, and mouth to avoid bacterial infection.
They are also advised to take a bath immediately and take oral prophylaxis (doxycycline) as soon as possible.