Environmental Health News Item #1

The Philippines, being a tropical country and exposed to a large amount of rain yearly, experiences a lot of flooding across the country. The high water concentration can lead to a higher risk for leptospirosis and dengue. Over the course of one year, the number of leptospirosis cases has risen from 206 in 2017 to 1,121 as of August 12 of this year. That is a 444% increase. There has been a need for significant improvements in garbage collections schemes and flood control programs to address the flooding concerns. These improvements are also believed to address the breeding places of rats and mosquitoes, which are the two main carriers of leptospirosis and dengue, respectively.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1022732/doh-warns-of-flood-borne-diseases

Comments

  1. UnknownNovember 5, 2018 at 5:55 PM

    That is a HUGE increase. I am very thankful for having a proper waste management system. But it is definitely something we need to look into for our more rural communities. Thanks so much for sharing this info!

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownNovember 19, 2018 at 9:15 AM

    Hi Chris! this increase is huge! You are totally correct that there needs to be an improvement in waste management. Mosquitos have been known to hang around areas of still, water, therefore improving the flood control may also reduce the amount of people who contract leptospirosis and/or dengue.

    ReplyDelete

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