ILOILO CITY, Iloilo, Philippines — Western Visayas has recorded its highest number of leptospirosis cases this year, with the Department of Health (DoH) in Region 6’s Regional Epidemiology Surveillance Unit (RESU) recording a total of 1,340 cases with 66 fatalities for the period covering January 1 to November 12. This number of cases is 620 percent higher compared to the same period last year.

Dr. Marie Jocelyn Te, DoH 6 coordinator for emerging/reemerging diseases, noted that this is the highest ever recorded within the last half decade.

In 2005, there were 51 cases of leptospirosis in Western Visayas and there was no single fatality. In 2006, the number of cases jumped to 130 cases with eight fatalities. There were 109 cases in 2007 with five fatalities, 331 cases with 12 fatalities in 2008, 319 cases with 16 fatalities in 2009, and 226 cases with 17 fatalities in 2010.

DoH 6 cannot ascertain if the outbreak of rat infestation in Iloilo province last August and September could be attributed to the rise of leptospirosis this year, but more than a quarter of leptospirosis victims in Western Visayas are from Iloilo.

It was also noted earlier that majority of victims were farmers who were infected by wading in wet farmlands that were infested by rats.

However, health officials later attributed it to other infected animals including pigs, carabaos, and dogs.

The DoH 6 is now poised to push even aggressively for preventive measures to stop the alarming rise in the number of leptospirosis cases.