8 dead in leptospirosis outbreak

At least eight people are dead and hundreds have been sickened by an outbreak of leptospirosis in flooded areas in the southern Philippines, officials said. The outbreak is linked to severe flooding caused by December's Tropical Storm Washi, abs-cbnNews.com reported Tuesday. Officials said the bacterial disease is often spread by infected rat urine mixing in fresh water in tropical environments. Five people have died from the illness in the southern port city of Cagayan de Oro and three others died in nearby Iligan City, the two cities hardest hit in the flooding that killed more than 1,200 people. More than 429,000 were displaced by the storm, with some 37,000 people still living in overcrowded evacuation centers, officials said.