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Manila has classified its leptospirosis situation as an epidemic after a sharp rise in infections pushed the city beyond its epidemiologic threshold and strained several government hospitals.
The increase has already affected hospital capacity. Ospital ng Maynila, Sta. Ana Hospital and Justice Jose Abad Santos General Hospital were reported full as more patients sought treatment for the bacterial disease.
OIC City Health Officer Dr. Grace Padilla said monitoring showed the city’s leptospirosis incidence climbing to 3.48 percent from 1.27 percent a week earlier. Health authorities considered the rapid increase sufficient to place Manila under an epidemic condition.
Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso responded by directing city agencies to step up prevention efforts, with particular attention to residents who had encountered floodwaters during recent heavy rains.
Instead of relying solely on residents to visit health facilities, Domagoso wants the Manila Health Department and the city’s 896 barangays to reach flood-affected communities and distribute preventive medication to eligible residents.
Free doxycycline is available through Manila’s 44 health centers and seven city-run district hospitals, according to the local government.
Leptospirosis is commonly associated with exposure to water or soil contaminated with urine from infected animals. The risk typically increases after flooding, particularly when contaminated water enters the body through wounds or other breaks in the skin.
The city government is also intensifying its information campaign as health authorities work to contain further infections and ease the growing patient load at Manila hospitals.