Top 5 diseases in the Philippines


The management of infectious diseases does not end at knowing the ways to, well, manage the disease (if you're one of the few people blessed to come across our past blog posts, you have our gratitude). With the management of infectious diseases also comes the insight of the top prevailing illness that wreak havoc among Philippine communities. 

Top 5 Contagious Diseases in the Philippines

1. HIV/AIDS

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus, more commonly known as HIV, is a virus that severely weakens one's immune system. Although it may span for a long period of time, a person can be identified to carry HIV without having developed the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or AIDS. Some studies show that it may even take years before the medical condition AIDS emerges. In the Philippines alone, there has been an increased number of people with HIV, with a daily average of 33 cases recorded for the year 2018 (Manila Bulletin, 2018).
Causes: Sexual transmission, perinatal transmission, and blood transmission
Symptoms: 
Early stage symptoms:
  • fever
  • chills
  • joint pain
  • muscle ache
  • sore throat
  • sweats
  • enlarged glands
  • red rash
  • tiredness
  • weakness
  • unintentional weight loss, and
  • thrush.
Late stage symptoms:

  • blurred vision
  • diarrhea
  • dry cough
  • fever for weeks
  • night sweats
  • permanent tiredness
  • shortness of breath
  • swollen glands for weeks
  • unintentional weight loss and
  • white spots on the tongue or mouth.
Treatment: There is currently no cure for HIV/AIDS, but treatments can help stop the progression of this upon diagnosis. Antiretroviral drugs and emergency HIV pills can be taken to slow down the spread of the infection.

2. Malaria

Malaria is a vector-borne disease carried in the saliva of infected mosquitoes. In the Philippines, despite incidences of malaria still present, large efforts have been carried out to reduce mortality caused by malaria. 
Causes: One can acquire malaria when one is bitten by an infected mosquito or if one receives infected blood during a blood transfusion. Malaria spreads through one's bloodstream and can affect the other parts of one's body. 
Symptoms: 

  • Abdominal pain
  • chills and sweats
  • diarrhea
  • nausea
  • vomiting
  • headache
  • high fever
  • low blood pressure causing dizziness
  • muscle pain
  • poor appetite.
Treatment: One needs to visit a medical in order to be given a prescription. Doctors may prescribe drugs such as Arelen, Coartem, Malarone, Clindamycin, Lariam, and many more. If this is not treated, it can be fatal to one's health.

3. Tuberculosis (TB)

Tuberculosis, more popularly known as TB, is a disease that affects one's lungs. It is one of the top diseases that causes the most number of deaths globally. 
Causes: TB is caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, which infects one's tissues. This bacteria can be transmitted as particles of water from an infected individual become suspended in the air. 
Symptoms: 

  • Swelling in the lymph nodes
  • fever, night sweats
  • cough
  • hemoptysis (coughing out blood)
  • weight loss
  • fatigue
  • chest pain
Treatment: upon consultation with a physician, a prescription of antibiotics that work against TB would usually be prescribed for a period of time. Unfortunately. the treatment for TB takes much longer than other bacterial infections.

4. Dengue

Dengue cases are most prominent in tropical countries and is a known vector-borne virus similar to malaria. Although the Philippines currently faces a controversy with this disease's preventive measures, numbers of Dengue cases were seen to decrease as compared with previous years. 
Causes: Dengue is transmitted from the bite of an Aedes mosquito carrying a Degue virus. The virus then spreads in one's blood. This virus cannot be directly transmitted from one individual to another. 
Symptoms: 

  • Sudden high fever
  • severe headaches
  • pain behind one's eyes
  • severe joint and muscle pain
  • fatigue
  • nausea
  • vomiting
  • skin rash
  • mild bleeding. 
Treatment: There is no specific medicine for dengue, but one can take pain relievers, and avoid taking medicine containing aspirin as to not worsen bleeding. It is often advised to drink lots of water and rest. However, if fever does not decline even after 24 hours, one must visit the doctor. 


5. Leptospirosis

Leptospirosis can occur in both humans and animals. This bacteria can exist in freshwater and soil for months, and is often found in tropical and temperate countries. In the more recent times, outbreaks of Leptospirosis has been accounted for within Metro Manila in 2018, with the number of cases higher than the calculated average (Inquirer, 2018).
Causes: It is caused by a the bacteria, Leptospira interrogans. This bacteria found in the urine of infected animals and is known to affect humans when in direct contact with infected specimen as the bacteria can enter their skin, or even when they eat these animals. The bacteria will then spread to the different part of one's body. 
Symptoms:

  • High fever 
  • chills
  • headache
  • jaundice
  • rash
  • vomiting
  • radish eyes
  • sore throat
  • joint and muscle pain
  • fatigue
  • diarrhea, and abdominal symptoms
  • Weil's disease with organ dysfunction. 
It is also possible that some who have this disease will not have any symptoms.
Treatment: Antibiotics are prescribed to those who have phase 2 or severe cases of Leptospirosis while others might need IV antibiotics and other hospital care. 

 *Based on 2014 data

What happens from here?

Right now, we're guessing that after being bombarded with all this knowledge of the most prominent diseases, you're thinking: Why should this all matter to me? Sadly, like the rest of the world's population of living organisms, no one is immune from disease. We only hope that one day, an elixir for all-time health is created. For now, the best that can happen is the prevention of these potentially life-threatening diseases (which you can find in our previous blog posts yay!). However, if you do find yourself suffering through the symptoms of one of these diseases, take the Plato's advise and seek medical attention. 




Sources:
http://www.topten.ph/2014/04/16/top-10-contagious-diseases-philippines/
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/17131.php
https://www.medbroadcast.com/condition/getcondition/malaria
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/8856.php
https://www.medicinenet.com/tuberculosis_tb_facts/article.htm#what_causes_tuberculosis
https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/dengue-fever-reference#1
https://www.medicinenet.com/leptospirosis/article.htm#what_is_the_treatment_for_leptospirosis
https://www.emedicinehealth.com/malaria/article_em.htm#what_is_the_treatment_and_medication_for_malaria
https://www.news-medical.net/health/When-Does-HIV-Become-AIDS.aspx
https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/03/20/ph-has-1021-new-hiv-cases-recorded-in-january-2018/
https://www.pressreader.com/philippines/the-philippine-star/20180515/282372630257910
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1007384/doh-declares-leptospirosis-outbreak-in-parts-of-metro-manila
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/972371/doh-reports-11000-new-dengue-cases

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