A 52-year-old drainage cleaner from Bacolod City died of suspected leptospirosis, a City Health Office official said Monday, Feb.17.
The 52-year-old man from Brgy Villamonte, who had fever, consulted a private doctor on Jan. 25 and was referred for immediate admission at the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital on the same day due to difficulty breathing, Dr. Grace Tan, head of the CHO’s Environmental Sanitation Division, said.
He died less than 24 hours after on Jan. 26, she said.
The 52-year-old construction and general services worker frequently cleaned canals and drainages without the use of gloves and boots, the CHO was told.
Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection caused by the Leptospira spirochetes bacteria. It is contracted from exposure to water or soil contaminated by the urine of infected animals, especially rats, through cuts, wounds, abrasions, or any break in the skin.
A CHO advisory stressed the need to wear boots when wading in flood water, avoid swimming in contaminated water, and to clean garbage to avoid the proliferation of rats that are carriers of leptospirosis.
Among its symptoms are chills, intense headache, severe muscle aches and abdominal pain.
The CHO said those manifesting symptoms should seek consultation immediately for prophylaxis.
Four leptospirosis cases have been reported in Bacolod City this year with one each in barangays 1, Villamonte, Mansilingan, and Estefania.*