A recent outbreak in Manila belies the fact that reported rates of leptospirosis in the Philippines had actually decreased in recent years. See graph:

The following additional background data are abstracted from GIDEON www.GideonOnline.com (primary references available on request):

Leptospirosis was first reported n the Philippines in 1932.
– 65 cases were documented in literature published during 1932 to 1970; 390 during 1971 to 1973; approxomately 840 during 1998 to 2001.
– Leptospirosis is common in flood-prone areas of urban setting such as Metro Manila.
– The average age of patients is 32 years, 87% of cases were males and 70% are outdoor workers.
– The case fatality rate is 12 to 14 percent.
– Rates in Cabatuan, Iloilo are estimated at 147 cases per 100,000 population (2007 publication).

Prevalence surveys:
5% of aseptic meningitis cases in Manila (1989 publication)

Seroprevalence surveys:
43.6% of rice farmers in Central Luzon (1988 publication)
0% of dogs (RMAT, 1970 to 1973)

The following serovars of Leptospira interrogans have been demonstrated among patients in the Manila area: poi, tarassovi, manilai, pyrogenes, australis, grippotyphosa, javanica and automnalis.

Notable outbreaks:
1976 to 1983 – An outbreak of leptospirosis was reported on a penal farm in Sablayan, Mindoro.
1999 – An outbreak (17 cases) of leptospirosis involved participants in an ‘iron-man contest’ – from Germany, Hong Kong and the Philippines.

Update: Posted in ProMED

A recent outbreak in Western Visayas belies the fact that measles rates in the Philippines have declined dramatically since the 1990′s, in parallel with increased vaccination usage.

From 1983 to 1997, the Philippines had reported one of the highest measles rates in this region.

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645,232 cases of filariasis (both forms) were estimated for the Philippines during 1963 to 1996

Wuchereria bancrofti:

Time and Place:
- Bancroftian filariasis is endemic to southern Luzon, Mindanao, Mindoro, Palawan, Samar, Leyte, Sorsogon and Bohol.
- 43 of 63 provinces were endemic n 1960; 45 of 77 provinces as of 1996 4 ; 290 municipalities as of 2001; 351 of 1,566 municipalities as of 2003; 39 of 79 provinces as of 2004.
- Cases have recently been registered in Marinduque.
- Both forms of filariasis (W. bancrofti and B. malayi) coexist in only four provinces: Davao Oriental, Palawan, Eastern and Northern Samar 6 and Surigao del Sur.
- In 1984, 20 million persons were considered at risk for filariasis (both W. bancrofti and B. malayi) in the Philippines; 23.5 million in 2002; 15,034,765 in 2006; 21,882,581 in 2007.
- Only two provinces (Marinduque and Sulu) were considered ‘high prevalence’ areas (>10%) as of 1993.

Disease in the Philippines is nocturnally periodic.

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