Most Infectious Diseases in the Country

1. 10 most dreaded infectious diseases in the country today.
#10. Hepatitis A
Be careful when eating just about anywhere. Food that you are taking could be contaminated
with fecal matter especially if you are in an area where sanitation is low. Cases of outbreaks have
been reported due to eating in carenderias. As this attacks the liver (i.e., hepar = Greek for liver),
victims will exhibit fever, jaundice and diarrhea. A fraction of these victims, 15% to be exact,
could suffer for 6-9 months.
Although the disease is curable and a vaccine is available, this form of Hepatitis is most
common. Since the virus dies in high temperature, eating raw food (e.g., shellfish) can introduce
you to the disease. Good thing is once you’re stricken, you become immune.
Hepa A morbidity is at a low at 0.3 to 1.8 percent
source: contaminated food or water
nature: viral
#9. Hepatitis E
Just like Hepa A, this one is fecal-oral, meaning you get via eating or drinking contaminated
sources. This is the more dangerous kind with more reported deaths than its distant cousin. Hepa
E is a leading cause of infant deaths with 20% of infants from expecting mothers stricken with
the disease to experience fatal complications.
Over-all, the hepatitis group of diseases, which constitutes Hepa A, B, C, D and E, is a global
problem bigger than HIV/AIDs with over a million dying from the disease every year in the Asia
Pacific region. In the Philippines, it is estimated one of every 6 could be infected with the deadly
virus or a whopping 16.7 percent.
source: contaminated food or water, semen
nature: viral
#8. Typhoid
This bacterial disease is spread through contact with water or food contaminated with sewage or
fecal matter. Again, poor sanitation is a leading cause of the disease. Typhoid is deadly
especially for children with mortality rates reaching as high as 20% and cases of deaths have
been reported nationwide. Symptoms include sustained high fever.
source: contaminated food or water
nature: bacterial

2. #7. Japanese Encephalitis
Mosquito-borne (Culex tritaeniorhynchus), this viral disease is a menace in the rural areas. The
sad part is the mortality rate is high, up to 30%, with infected people experiencing acute
encephalitis which can progress to coma and eventual death.
source: Mosquito-borne
nature: viral
#6. Leptospirosis
Another disease that is aggravated by dirty living conditions.The disease is bacterial but can
easily be spread as it can be spread with infected animal urine (e.g., rats, dogs, cats) coming in
contact with breaks in the skin, mouth, nose or even the vagina. It is no coincidence that the
disease has been reported in areas of the Philippines experiencing massive flooding. Sadly, the
disease has claimed dozens of lives. A classic example is the 2013 outbreak in Olongapo City
which affected over 600 people.
#5. Rabies
The disease identified mainly through dog bites has been dubbed a public menace in the
Philippines and government has been actively pursuing deterrence of the spread of the virus. In
advanced stages, infected persons will start to exhibit strange behaviors almost dog-like (e.g.,
biting, lunging at anyone, fear of water). If untreated, rabies can cause cardio-respiratory arrest
and eventual death in 3-5 days.
Good thing is it’s 100 percent preventable and a vaccine is available. However, rabies still claims
200-300 lives annually.
source: dog bites
nature: viral
#4. Dengue
Dengue is another major menace in the Philippines with the government actively pursuing its
eradication. Mosquito-borne (Aedes aegypti) the disease has struck in the heart of major cities.
In early 2013 alone, almost 200 Filipinos died of the disease with urban centers affected the
most.
source: mosquito-borne (Aedes aegypti)
nature: viral

3. #3. TB
This bacterial disease that attacks the lungs, tuberculosis claims the lives of 2 million people
worldwide per year. In South-East Asia which includes the Philippines, there are around 3
million cases of TB occurrence per year in a data provided by WHO (World Health
Organization).
One of the top 3 in the DOH list, Philippines has one of the highest incidence of TB and it is the
sixth leading cause of death in the country. Since the disease is air-borne and can be spread via a
sneeze or cough, the disease can spread fast. From 2003 to 2011 alone over 4.6 million TB cases
were reported in the archipelago. The good news is these numbers are slowly going down.
source: air-borne (Aedes aegypti)
nature: bacterial
#2. Malaria
Part of the top 3 priority infectious disease, the disease can be transmitted via the bite of the
Anopheles female mosquito. Also it can infect an individual via syringe or blood transfusion, or
transplacenta (mother to child) and has claimed thousands of lives.
Though DOH has declared war on malaria and is posting a target of having a Malaria-free
Philippines by 2020, there were about 10,000 cases reported in 2011, a drop from roughly 20,000
cases in 2003.
source: mosquito-borne (Aedes aegypti)
nature: viral
#1. HIV/AIDs
The disease may not have claimed as many lives as those in this A-lister but its nature is of the
deadliest kind. Since the disease can be spread via blood transfusion (i.e., needle) and coitus
(sexual act), its rise has been imminent especially in highly-urban areas (Manila, Cebu). Many of
the active carriers of the disease have led promiscuous lifestyles. The abomination has also been
linked to availability of global work, the gay rights movement and the growth of the call center
industry.
In 2013, DOH listed a total of roughly 10,000 active carriers of the disease nationwide with 92%
infected via sexual contact with over 80% affected engaging in male-to-male (MSM) sexual
activity. Of the total carriers, 20% are OFW’s.
source: needle, sexual contact
nature: viral