GEARING UP AGAINST FLOOD RISKS Residents of Barangay San Juan in Hagonoy, Bulacan, wear protective gear while wading through floodwaters on Tuesday, 8 September 2026, in an effort to reduce their exposure to leptospirosis and other health risks. The barangay has remained flooded for about a month due to persistent monsoon rains. Photo by Analy Labor
ANALY LABOR
The number of leptospirosis cases dropped by more than half during the last two weeks of September, the Department of Health (DOH) said Tuesday, 20 October 20.
In its latest report, the DOH said a total of 1,159 leptospirosis cases were recorded from 17 to 30 September.
The department said this represented a 55 percent decline from the 2,570 cases reported from 3 to 16 September.
The agency also disclosed that the number of provinces and highly urbanized cities (P/HUCs) flagged for leptospirosis had dropped to six from 46.
“Despite the continuous decline in cases, the Department shall continue to monitor subsequent morbidity weeks to ensure that the downward trend will continue,” the DOH assured the public.
As of October 14, the DOH said a total of 13,530 leptospirosis cases had been recorded nationwide this year.
However, the department said the figure was still 47 percent higher than the 9,188 cases recorded during the same period last year.
Meanwhile, it noted that this year's case fatality rate (CFR) of 5.41 percent was lower than the 10.37 percent recorded in 2025.
Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection that humans can contract through exposure to floodwater, soil or food contaminated with the urine of infected animals, such as rats, dogs and pigs.
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