The Quezon City government is raising the alarm Sunday following a sharp rise in leptospirosis cases, exacerbated by relentless rains and widespread flooding over the past weeks.

According to data from the Quezon City Epidemiology and Surveillance Division (QCESD) under the Quezon City Health Department, the city has breached its epidemic threshold, recording 43 new cases from 24 to 30 July alone.

“Due to the downpour over the past weeks, we’ve seen an increase in leptospirosis cases,” said QCESD chief Dr. Rolly Cruz. “We have recorded 178 cases so far this year — about 23 percent higher than the number of cases recorded from January to 30 July last year.”

From 17 to 30 July, a total of 67 cases were reported, exceeding the epidemic thresholds for both weeks.

This year, 23 deaths due to leptospirosis have already been recorded, a 12 percent increase from the 18 deaths reported in the same period last year.