EARLY this month, this paper reported that leptospirosis cases in Iloilo province this year increased by 228 percent from last year. From Jan. 1 to Nov. 26, 2022, the Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) logged 128 cases – higher than the 39 cases recorded in the same period in 2021. It also recorded 10 deaths.
Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease. One becomes infected through direct contact with the urine of infected animals or with a urine-contaminated environment. Bacteria enter the body through cuts or abrasions on the skin or through the mucous membranes of the mouth, nose and eyes.
Health authorities ascribe the rise in leptospirosis cases to uncollected garbage and to flooding due to rains. It actually boils down to the cleanliness of surroundings. To curb leptospirosis cases, the ecological management of discards is key. Poor waste management attracts rodent infestation and increases the risk of human exposure to the leptospirosis-causing bacteria transmitted through rat urine. Rats thrive in filthy surroundings such as garbage dumps where they go to find food, rest and hide.
The action must start right in every home. But of course, our barangay leaders have a crucial role in campaigning for the adoption of waste prevention and reduction measures to avoid garbage from piling up, as well as to avert flooding caused by trash-choked waterways.
Improper trash disposal can also obstruct canals and rivers causing flooding, which forces rats to flee floods and seek shelter on higher ground. This makes wading and swimming in flooded areas very dangerous as floodwaters may be contaminated with leptospira bacteria from infected rats.
This is why it is imperative for our barangays to help enforce Republic Act (RA) 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, which aims to protect public health and the environment from mismanaged discards.
Among other things, RA 9003 requires the country’s over 42,000 barangays to develop an ecological solid waste management program, promote waste segregation, implement a segregated collection for biodegradable and non-biodegradable discards, and set up materials recovery facilities in every barangay or cluster of barangays.
Ecological solid waste management can help not only in preventing leptospirosis, but also in preventing cholera, dengue, gastroenteritis, typhoid fever and other common diseases during the rainy season.
