The City of Manila on Monday declared leptospirosis a local epidemic after new cases of the disease exceeded the epidemiologic threshold.

According to Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso, Manila Officer-in-Charge–City Health Officer Dr. Grace Padilla declared that the current spread of leptospirosis is in an “epidemic condition,” as reported by RH 9 Tina Nolasco.

Based on the Manila Health Department’s (MHD) data, leptospirosis has reached an attack rate of 3.48 percent, compared to last week’s attack rate of 1.27 percent, indicating a rapid proliferation of leptospirosis cases in a short period of time.

Dr. Padilla added that a number of city government district hospitals are presently at full capacity, including the Ospital ng Maynila, Sta. Ana Hospital, and Justice Jose Abad Santos General Hospital due to the prevalence of cases.

In response, Mayor Domagoso has tasked local government agencies to strengthen the city’s campaign against leptospirosis.

This includes carrying out aggressive public information campaigns advising the public to avail of the free doxycycline capsules—an antibiotic used to combat bacterial infections and water-borne diseases—from all 44 health centers and seven district hospitals under the city government.

Online sources say that Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection caused by exposure to Leptospira microbes that come from the urine of infected animals such as rats.

Patients may contract the disease when contaminated water comes in contact with wounds or enters through the eyes, nose, or mouth, often during floods.