By Patricia Bermudez
CALAMBA CITY – Health officials in Calabarzon expect a rise in cases of waterborne diseases with the onset of the rainy season.
Dr. Eva Marie Torio, head of Department of Health-Calabarzon’s Infectious Disease cluster, assured that they are prepared to respond should cases of waterborne diseases, such as leptospirosis and dengue, rise in the coming months.
“We are expecting cases of these diseases to rise as the rainy season approaches. However, this can be prevented because we have prepositioned our resources. We ask our kababayans to go to their Rural Health Units for proper treatment especially those who went into flood and have open wounds.”
As of June 21, the health department logged 138 cases of leptospirosis. Of this, eight patients have died due to complications.
Contracted through contaminated floodwater, leptospirosis is transmitted through skin contact or mucous membranes with moist soil, vegetation contaminated with the urine of infected animals.
Torio assured that patients who had contact with floodwater would be prioritized for treatment in health centers.
Meanwhile, the health department also logged 21,387 dengue cases in the region. According to the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (RESU), the highest number of cases were reported in Antipolo (2,123 cases), Binangonan (853), Bacoor (770), Santa Rosa (679), San Pedro (678), Dasmariñas (665), General Trias (657), Cainta (556), Imus (540), and Cabuyao (519).
Torio also noted that other diseases, such as monkeypox and Covid-19, are also prevalent in the region.
As of January 1, the health department reported 197 Covid-19 cases, of which 114 have already recovered, while three have died due to complications. On the other hand, 20 monkeypox cases have been reported in the entire region since January 2025.
Acute diarrhea cases also rose to 259, or 32 percent higher, from last year, with 196 cases.
“We can prevent this if we have clean water sources or have hygienic food preparation practices.”
