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Friday, March 29, 2024

Leptos kills 15 in Kidney center

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AT least 15 patients  of  the National Kidney and Transplant Institute last month died of  leptospirosis, a rat-borne  bacterial infection.

Dr. Luis Limchiu, Jr., chairman of the NKTI adult nephrology department, said the casualties  were  among 102 leptospirosis patients admitted to the state hospital last month. Sixty patients remained confined at the NKTI,  Limchiu told ABS-CBN.

People who wade in floods should make use of antibiotic prophylaxis capsules that attack the Leptospira bacteria, Limchiu said.

Cases of leptospirosis surged  in June after floodwaters contaminated with rat urine swamped large parts of the country following heavy rains.

In the first six months of the year, at least 99 individuals died of leptospirosis, Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo said last Thursday.

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Among the symptoms of leptospirosis are fever, headache, muscle pain, jaundice, difficulty in peeing and coughing up blood. These symptoms  may emerge up to 30 days after exposure to water contaminated with rodent urine, Domingo said.         

If left untreated, leptospirosis may cause kidney failure, brain damage, massive internal bleeding and death.

The fatality rate from leptospirosis was a bit high, almost 10 percent.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Health department said there were 1,030 cases of leptospirosis reported nationwide   from Jan. 1 to June 9 this year, which was 41 percent higher than the number recorded during the same period last year.

Of that number, 339 were laboratory-tested and 77 turned positive for Leptospirosis. There were 93 deaths recorded but Domingo said the total was 99.

The department advised the public to watch out for symptoms of leptospirosis if they hde been wading in floodwaters these past few rainy days. The sudden downpour several days this week flooded many low-lying areas in Metro Manila and other parts of the country.

“We can prevent the complications of leptospirosis when its flu-like symptoms are recognized early and treated immediately,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said.

“My advice to those who had to wade in the flood these past few days is to be alert for any symptom and to seek early consultation,”

Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection caused by the Leptospira spirochetes bacteria that is spread through the urine of infected animals, especially rats. Its modes of transmission include wading in contaminated floodwaters and ingesting contaminated food or water.

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