The Zamboanga City Health Office. (PNA file photo)
ZAMBOANGA CITY – Residents here are advised to take precautions as the City Health Office (CHO) has recorded 20 cases of leptospirosis with 10 mortalities since January this year.
“All the 10 fatalities were males,” said Dr. Dulce Amor Miravite, city health officer, on Wednesday.
She noted that most of those infected with the disease were aged between 13 and 58 years old, comprising 17 males and three females.
In comparison, the CHO recorded 13 leptospirosis cases in 2021.
Miravite said leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that affects humans and animals and is caused by bacteria of genus Leptospira, with rodents as the primary source.
“The mode of infection is exposure to floodwaters contaminated with rat urine,” she said, adding it can be treated with prophylaxis and antibiotics such as doxycycline.
Symptoms usually occur two days to four weeks from the time of exposure and the infection can cause a wide range of indications in humans.
The signs of infection include high fever, headache, chills, muscle aches, vomiting, jaundice (yellow skin and eyes), red eyes, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and rash.
However, Miravite said some infected persons may have no symptoms at all.
She advised residents who had exposure to floodwaters, whether with or without open wounds or cuts, to seek early consultation in health centers. (PNA)
