MANILA — The Philippines is seeing an increasing number of leptospirosis and dengue cases in the country amid floods and the onset of the rainy season, the Department of Health (DOH) said Monday.

From June 18 to July 1, the DOH said it had logged 182 new cases of the potentially deadly but preventable leptospirosis — a 42 percent increase from 128 cases reported 2 weeks prior.

As of July 15, there were 2,079 reported cases of leptospirosis since Jan. 1 this year. Some 225 fatalities have so far been recorded.

According to the DOH, Region III showed a continuous increase in leptospirosis cases in the recent 6 weeks. The region tallied 9 cases in the recent 2 weeks or from July 2 to 15.

The DOH added that Metro Manila, Cordillera Administrative Region, Regions II, IV-A, IV-B, IX, X, XI, and Caraga showed an increase in leptospirosis cases in the last 3 to 4 weeks with 7 to 53 new infections.

Meanwhile, Regions I and V had an increase in cases in the recent 2 weeks with 9 and 3 cases reported, respectively, it said.

Leptospirosis cases are expected to increase during the rainy season, as more people wade through floodwaters that may be contaminated with urine from rodents and animals infected with the bacteria leptospira.

Among the symptoms of leptospirosis are fever and chills, head and muscle aches, red eyes, vomiting, and jaundice or yellow skin and eyes.

Pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis are available for leptospirosis.

DENGUE

The health department said it has also observed a continuous rise in dengue cases. In the recent 3 to 4 weeks, it recorded 9,486 dengue cases, which is a 16 percent increase compared to the previous 2 weeks.

A total of 80,318 dengue cases were reported across the country, as of July 15. The DOH said the cases could still increase due to late reports.

All regions, the DOH noted, except Region II, BARMM, and Caraga showed an increase in cases over the recent 3 to 4 weeks.

Some 990 had severe dengue, while 299 succumbed to the disease. Nearly 40 deaths had dengue without warning signs, the DOH said.

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According to the World Health Organization, dengue is transmitted to humans through the bites of infected female mosquitoes, primarily the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

While the majority of dengue cases are asymptomatic or show mild symptoms, it can manifest as a severe, flu-like illness that affects infants, young children, and adults — but seldom causes death.

Dengue symptoms usually last for 2 to 7 days.

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