MANILA, Philippines — Leptospirosis cases in the Philippines declined by 36 percent during the latest two-week monitoring period, while the number of areas exceeding epidemic thresholds also fell, according to the Department of Health (DOH) on Monday, October 6.
In its latest surveillance report, the DOH recorded 2,489 leptospirosis cases from September 3 to 16, down from 3,867 cases reported between August 20 and September 2.
“Recent surveillance continues to indicate that the surge may be easing,” the agency said.
Despite the recent decline, the DOH noted that the country’s cumulative number of infections remains significantly higher than last year. As of September 30, total cases had reached 12,654, representing a 49 percent increase from the 8,511 cases recorded during the comparable period in 2025.
The number of provinces and highly urbanized cities that exceeded their epidemic thresholds also decreased to 18 from 29. These areas were spread across seven regions, compared with eight regions in the previous reporting period.
The DOH likewise reported an improvement in the leptospirosis fatality rate. The case fatality rate stood at 5.25 percent, lower than the 10.56 percent recorded during the same period last year.
The agency cautioned that delays in reporting could affect the figures but said the latest data indicate that the recent surge may be subsiding.
“Despite possible reporting delays, this decline suggests the surge is easing. The DOH shall continue to monitor subsequent morbidity weeks to determine whether the downward trend is sustained,” it stated.
Meanwhile, dengue cases increased slightly during the latest two-week period, although the overall number of infections for the year remains below last year’s level.
The DOH recorded 21,768 dengue cases from September 3 to 16, a 3 percent increase from the 21,158 cases reported between August 20 and September 2.
As of September 30, the country had recorded 180,770 dengue cases, 27 percent fewer than the 246,082 cases reported during the same period in 2025.
The department said dengue infections have been rising since the first week of June, coinciding with the start of the rainy season.
“However, the reported cases were still below the alert and epidemic threshold since the start of the year,” it said.
Dengue-related deaths also declined by 26 percent compared with the same period last year, with the case fatality rate recorded at 0.38 percent.
The DOH identified school-going children as the group most affected by dengue, with patients having a median age of 13 years.
Of the total cases reported, 168,381 or 93 percent required hospitalization. The agency also said 48 percent of the reported dengue fatalities were clinically classified as severe dengue.