Leptospirosis cases going down in PGH, San Lazaro Hospital
Leptospirosis cases at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) and San Lazaro Hospital have started going down over the weekend, even as the Department of Health (DOH) prepares for another tropical cyclone within the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR).
“The PGH posted on Saturday afternoon that their occupancy [rate] decreased from 400 percent from their first announcement, to only 98 percent,” DOH spokesperson Albert Domingo said at the “Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon” briefing on Monday.
“While that still seems full … that’s just how it is in public hospitals. [They are] always full. So, that is a huge drop from 400 percent overcapacity to 98 percent,” Domingo added.
Last week, the PGH said in a statement that its emergency room had exceeded its capacity, as it urged the public to find other hospitals that can serve their medical needs.
The DOH later issued a separate statement in which it listed 20 Metro Manila hospitals managed by the department and government-owned or -controlled corporations that were ready to help the public.
Situation more manageable
On Saturday, the PGH said the DOH intervention made the situation at the hospital “more manageable,” noting that its occupancy rate was down to 98.97 percent with the emergency room looking after just 199 patients. It added that its leptospirosis cases since the beginning of the month were 56.
Domingo, however, warned that there could still be an increase in leptospirosis cases at the government hospital.
“The incubation period of leptospirosis ranges from two days up to 30 days. If you recall … our warning is in one to two weeks, the number of patients will increase due to the floods, and we saw that,” he said.
Over at San Lazaro Hospital, Domingo said the number of leptospirosis cases has “plateaued,” meaning it was already past the incubation period of the disease.
Rontgene Solante, the infectious disease expert at the hospital, confirmed the downward trend, saying that “for the past two days, our leptospirosis daily admission is five and 11 from the usual [number] of 22 to 25.”
Based on the data provided by Solante, the total number of leptospirosis cases at the government hospital from Aug. 1 to Aug. 10 was 137, with 19 deaths for a mortality rate of 13.9 percent. Moderate cases reached 54, while severe cases were at 83.
Domingo, meanwhile, said the DOH is already monitoring Severe Tropical Storm “Gorio” (international name: Pudol), which entered PAR on Sunday.
He observed, however, that the storm was not expected to have a direct impact on the country based on data from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) and may not lead to a rise in leptospirosis cases.
In its 5 p.m. weather update, Pagasa said the center of Gorio’s eye was estimated at 1,045 kilometers east of extreme northern Luzon, with the cyclone moving west-southwestward at 20 km per hour. Its maximum sustained winds were at 110 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center with gustiness of up to 135 kph. It was expected to exit PAR by Wednesday evening.
