On Monday, August 12, Iloilo 1st District Representative Janette Garin announced that the Department of Health (DOH) has been advised to adopt a proactive approach in combating Leptospirosis due to the frequent flooding.
Garin noted that the Department of Health (DOH) had shortcomings regarding the distribution of doxycycline, an antibiotic used to prevent leptospirosis. She highlighted that it was not delivered to the provinces affected by the flooding.
The former Health Secretary mentioned that doxycycline, which was both free and funded, was unfortunately unavailable in some areas. Although this issue was brought to the Department of Health’s attention repeatedly, their response was not prompt.
He also emphasized that antibiotics need to be delivered more quickly to affected areas to ensure they are accessible. DOH should view the increasing leptospirosis cases as a prompt to enhance its information dissemination efforts, especially concerning the disease in the event of impending flooding.
This situation serves as a wake-up call for the need to be more aggressive. In times when fake news proliferates, it is crucial for the department to treat misinformation as unacceptable, as misleading statements can negatively impact people.
The department also instructed all DOH hospitals to use the standardized referral forms available online and to update the names and contact information of their referral focal points with the Health Emergency Management Bureau’s operations center by August 13.
According to the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) as of August 9, there has already been a surge in leptospirosis cases, with 67 patients admitted, including 11 in the pediatric ward. The gymnasium was forced to convert into a leptospirosis ward for 40 patients due to the overcapacity of the emergency room, plans are underway to open an additional ward to accommodate 15 more patients.
Photo Courtesy: Department of Health