Lepto cases rise to 88 in P’sinan

DAGUPAN CITY — The Region 1 office of the Center for Health Development expressed alarm over rise in leptospirosis cases in Pangasinan, one of hardest hit provinces by Typhoon “Pepeng,” after the number of patients seeking medical attention for the bacterial infection rose to 88 recently.

After declaring a leptospirosis outbreak in Bawang, Naguilian and Aringay in La Union recently, health authorities placed in their watchlist the towns of Mangaldan and Binmaley and Dagupan City because of the increasing number of leptospirosis cases in the said places over the past few days.

At the same time, it was reported the province has already three casualties from the dreaded bacterial infection, thus, appropriate information and education campaign is being conducted to inform the people on ways and means to prevent them from contracting the infection.

Out of the 88 reported leptospirosis cases, 27 come from Mangaldan, 19 are from Dagupan City and 13 are said to be from Binmaley while the rest come from the different flood-stricken towns in the province.

However, sources disclosed the current leptospirosis cases in the province does not include the patients who have been admitted in different private hospitals, thus, the number is expected to double once all reports relative to the infection are collated.

To avert a worst-case scenario, health officials started distributing dosycycline prophylaxis to residents in the different towns and cities comprising the province so that they could be able to prevent the infection from the dried up mud inside their homes and even in their surroundings which are considered to be infected with the leptospira bacteria. – Dexter A. See