Caraga: The Department of Health in Caraga Region's personnel for the Environmental and Occupational Health Programs (EOHP) and the Food and Waterborne Diseases Program have ramped up outreach efforts to prevent waterborne diseases as the rainy season commences this month. 'During the rainy season, we commonly observe a cluster of diseases enumerated as W.I.L.D. - Waterborne diseases like diarrhea, Influenza, Leptospirosis, and Dengue,' EOHP program coordinator Mark Lynde Gascon said in an interview on Monday.

According to Philippines News Agency, Gascon said comprehensive guidelines for managing and preventing these rainy season diseases are outlined in Infectious Diseases Advisory No. 2, the DOH guidance on the increase of WILD diseases during the rainy season, issued in September 2023. 'Our counterparts in the local government units, specifically the health officers and rural sanitary inspectors, are already actively working under these guidelines. They are particularly advocating for measures on how to prevent these waterborne diseases,' he added.

One common illness during this period is leptospirosis, which occurs due to exposure to the urine of infected animals, such as rats, during flooding. DOH data from January to December 2024 shows that the Caraga region recorded 446 cases of acute bloody diarrhea, with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 0.22 percent.

Additionally, there were 13 cases of cholera (0 percent CFR), 623 cases of typhoid (0.16 percent CFR), 120 cases of leptospirosis (14.17 percent CFR), and 11,745 cases of dengue (0.56 percent CFR).