Bacolod City is facing a significant increase in Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD) cases this year, with reported infections climbing by 239 percent compared to last year.
As of July 12, the city has recorded 78 HFMD cases, a sharp rise from just 23 cases during the same period in 2024.
Dr. Grace Tan, head of the City Health Office (CHO) Environment Sanitation Division, noted that the actual number of HFMD cases could be even higher due to unreported instances.
HFMD is a common infectious disease primarily affecting children, though adolescents and adults can also contract it.
While typically mild and self-limiting with symptoms like fever, mouth sores, and a rash on hands, feet, and buttocks, the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that more severe complications such as meningitis, encephalitis, and polio-like paralysis can occur.
Bacolod City has also seen an increase in leptospirosis cases, Tan said.
This year, 15 cases have been reported, marking a 50 percent increase from last year, with six probable deaths attributed to the disease.
Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease transmitted through contact with water, soil, or food contaminated by the urine of infected animals, particularly rodents.
Symptoms range from mild, flu-like ailments such as headaches, muscle pains, and fevers, to severe, life-threatening conditions involving bleeding in the lungs or meningitis.
Tan pointed to the increase in garbage as a significant factor contributing to the rise in leptospirosis, explaining that more waste leads to an increased rat population — the primary carriers of the disease.
She also attributed the overall increase in garbage to the city’s growing population.*