00:00Good evening, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
00:05The number of cases of leptospirosis in NKT
00:10has increased by two weeks after heavy rain and typhoon Kareena.
00:16That's why even the hospital's gym is using a ward.
00:19Other patients cannot be admitted due to the lack of doctors and nurses.
00:23The number of cases of deadly diseases is also increasing.
00:28Maki Pulido reports live on the situation there.
00:32Maki.
00:36The NKTI needs more nurses and doctors from the Department of Health.
00:41Because of the number of leptospirosis patients,
00:45their medical staff is running short.
00:49Even though it's raining,
00:51the heavy rain and typhoon Kareena has pushed the flood away.
00:57This effect is only now being felt
00:59at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute in Quezon City.
01:03This is where I met Danilo.
01:05The house was hit by the wind,
01:07so it was flooded when they started to fix the house.
01:11After a few days, it was flooded and its plants were damaged.
01:16When there was no rain, it was hard for him to breathe.
01:19Danilo was hit by leptospirosis,
01:22a bacterial disease caused by the breath of animals like fish
01:26that can get in and out of wounds and other open parts of the body.
01:31I didn't notice the fish swimming in the water.
01:39I thought it was nothing.
01:43The fish swam in the water, but I was still able to breathe.
01:47He is one of 48 leptospirosis patients confined to the NKTI.
01:52Because of the patient's flooding,
01:54even the hospital's gym had to be turned into a leptospirosis ward.
01:58There are 10 more patients waiting in the emergency room
02:01who cannot be admitted because there is a shortage of nurses and doctors.
02:04But the NKTI says this is common in hospitals after a strong typhoon.
02:10Nurses and nursing aides pulled out from different wards
02:13to take care of the leptospirosis patients here in the gym.
02:17The NKTI said that hospital beds can still be added,
02:21but they need additional nurses and doctors.
02:24They requested the Department of Health to add 20 nurses and 10 doctors.
02:30They have lung abnormalities, some have lung hemorrhage,
02:35and some have acute pancreatitis and liver abnormalities.
02:40So this is really severe lepto.
02:42Since January, 7 leptospirosis patients of the NKTI have died.
02:47Two of them died last week.
02:50If they do not recover, they may develop chronic kidney disease.
02:53In the whole country, 67 leptospirosis cases were reported from July 14 to 27.
03:00But it is possible to add more because on July 24,
03:03the leptospirosis patients will have a runny nose and will feel pain or incubation period for two more weeks.
03:08Since January, more than 1,400 people have had lepto,
03:12although it is lower compared to the same time in 2023.
03:16More than 160 people have died.
03:19But you don't need to rush like this.
03:22If you can't avoid leptospirosis, whether you have an injury or not,
03:25doctors advise you to go to the health center,
03:28say you have leptospirosis, so they can give you and let you take prophylaxis.
03:32In the first phase, the patient will get fever,
03:35and then they will feel pain,
03:38and then after that, after about five days, they will get better,
03:43and then the pain will return.
03:46This time, with the complications already,
03:48the eyes will turn yellow,
03:50the uterus will shrink,
03:53their uterus will hurt,
03:56and others, they will already cough out blood.
04:01According to Dr. Dangilan,
04:03the case of leptospirosis may increase this year because of pneumonia.
04:07That's why it should always be reminded to the public that this is a preventable disease.
04:12You just need to go to the health center if you have leptospirosis.
04:16Vicky?
04:17Thank you very much, Maki Pulido.
04:30For more information, visit www.fema.gov
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