Officials of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned Wednesday that continued population growth in Metro Manila will have ‘damaging consequences for human health’ particularly for the poor as it increases poverty, diseases and natural disasters.

“Metro Manila has grown fast and randomly,” observed Dr. Shin Young-Soo, WHO regional director for the Western Pacific said. As a consequence, he noted that “many people already live in urban slums or near-slums where disease is a serious threat.”

With the projected and continued rise in the mega city’s population, the health risks will also rise if insufficient attention is paid to planning and implementation of healthy urban practices and infrastructure,” he pointed out.

To support his observation, Dr. Shin cited an increase in the incidence of watery diarrhea in Metro Manila occurred as well as the Leptospirosis outbreaks in three villages in Marikina City in the aftermath of the devastation brought by tropical storm Ondoy last year.

Cases of Leptospirosis, a disease resulting from coming in contact with water contaminated with animal urine, in particular, jumped 300 percent compared to the same period in 2008. About 3,600 post-typhoon Leptospirosis cases were admitted in hospitals, of which some 2,299 of the patients were from Metro Manila.

On the other hand, 178 out of the total 268 accounted deaths were, likewise, from Metro Manila.

The WHO official estimated that over 20 percent of the population living in Metro Manila is either ‘under’ or ‘near’ the poverty line with 35 percent living in urban slums.

WHO official noted that Metro Manila is the smallest and most densely populated area in the country. He described it ‘the only one that is entirely urban’, with over 15,500 people per square kilometer.

“And although the most recent figures from the United Nations peg Metro Manila as the 15th largest city in the world, with a census population of more than 11.5 million people, some estimate the real number of people living in the city at over 16 million, ranking it as the world's 11th most populous city,” Dr. Shin said.