Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, ordered the Department of Health (DOH) to address the rising cases of Leptospirosis in the country.
Following the reports of hospitals in Manila consecutively announced overcapacity of emergency rooms due to a surge in Leptospirosis.
Senator Go said that the increase in Leptospirosis cases, not only in Manila but all over the country, is alarming–citing Quezon City, which has the highest number of recorded deaths this year with 23 victims.
He also raised that health authorities should be alert and must coordinate to prevent the increase in cases and deaths from Leptospirosis.
In the DOH report, they recorded 3,037 cases of Leptospirosis from January 1 to July 19, 2025, of which 1,114 of these have been reported since June 8.
Among the regions with high cases of Leptospirosis are the Cordillera Administrative Region and the Caraga Administrative Region. The number of affected individuals is also high in Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Sur, and Surigao del Norte due to flooding.
Among the hospitals that have recorded high cases of Leptospirosis are East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City, Sta. Ana Hospital in Manila, and the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) in Quezon City. Meanwhile, the San Lazaro Hospital in Manila recorded seven deaths in the first five days of August alone.
According to Dr. Grace Padilla, Hospital Director of Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center (OMMC), the rise in leptospirosis cases is attributed to the recent flooding caused by typhoons, as many individuals who waded through floodwaters did not receive proper prophylaxis or doxycycline.
Senator Go urged the public to immediately see a doctor if they feel symptoms, and not to be afraid of the expense, as it is covered by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth). It offers benefit packages of P21,450.
Moreover, Francisco "Isko" Moreno, the Mayor of Manila, stated that the impact of flooding and disease could have been reduced if the construction of defective facilities, such as the Estero De Sunog Apog Pumping Station in Tondo, had been referred to the Local Government Unit (LGU)
Mayor Moreno also called out some National Government Agencies (NGA) that are responsible for putting defective pumping stations in Manila, and appealed to stop the construction of projects without consulting the local government.
