After flooding in some parts of the country this week, The Philippines Department of Health (DOH) recorded just one new case of leptospirosis from August 31 to September 4.
The numbers are likely to change due to continuous surveillance, still dropping significantly to 1,147 cases from Aug. 3 to Aug. 9–a week after Typhoon Crising, Dante, and Emong.
DOH and its leptospirosis fast lanes remain on guard just in case the number of leptospiroses increases due to flooding brought by tropical depression and the south.
In total, around 4,859 cases of leptospirosis were recorded from June 8 or a week after PAGASA declared the rainy season, until September 4, 2025.
The Department continues to remind to immediately consult the fast lanes of DOH Hospitals or the nearest Health Center if submerged in floods or exposed to mud to assess the risk level and give the appropriate treatment needed.
According to the US 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.
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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.
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