Leptospirosis is a bacterial zoonotic disease caused by the corkscrew shaped organism, Leptospira. It goes by several other names depending on the locale; mud fever, swamp fever, sugar cane and Fort Bragg fever, among others. It is a disease of both humans and animals.

On July 5th, the Philippines Department of Health declared a leptospirosis outbreak in the Metro Manila with a recent increase in cases of the serious bacterial disease.

Executive Vice President of the University of the Philippines, Ted Herbosa, MD joined me today for an update on the outbreak situation