(Photo courtesy: St. Luke's Medical Center)

QUEZON CITY, (PIA) -- The Epidemiology Bureau-Public Health Surveillance Division has recorded 1,473 patients infected with leptospirosis from January 1 to May 20, 2023.

Based on data, the agency said it is 83 percent higher compared to what was recorded in the same months in 2022, which reached 805 cases of leptospirosis.

The number of deaths due to leptospirosis from January to May this year was also higher at 149 compared to the same period in 2022 where 119 deaths were recorded.

However, the case fatality rate in 2022 is said to be higher at 14.5 percent compared to 10.1 percent this year.

According to the Department of Health, leptospirosis is caused by the leptospira spirochetes that are acquired from infected urine or feces of animals such as rats that contaminate food, water and soil.

"Its symptoms are fever, pain in various muscle parts, headache, red eyes. In severe cases: the liver, kidneys and brain are severely affected which will cause yellowing of the skin, dark-colored and scanty urine production and excessive headache,” the DOH said.

The DOH advises the public that in order to avoid contracting leptospirosis, ensure that food is clean and drinking water is safe, avoid swimming or going down in the flood especially if there is a wound. (PIA-NCR)