Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Rontgene Solante
Pneumonic plague spread to PH highly unlikely, says health expert
MANILA, Philippines — An infectious disease expert said that the possibility of an international spread of pneumonic plague to the Philippines is extremely low and almost bordering on zero amid widespread concerns in Russia. Infectious disease specialist Rontgene Solante stressed on Thursday, October 8, that the Russian government has not confirmed the suspected plague, assuring that the situation should not be a cause of concern among Filipinos.
San Lazaro Hospital reports 40 deaths due to leptospirosis
MANILA, Philippines — The San Lazaro Hospital (SLH) in Manila has reported 40 deaths due to leptospirosis, noting a continuing increase in the number of fatalities this year. From the 24 deaths reported on Sept. 10, the fatalities went up to 27 on Sept. 14 and 31 on Sept. 18. Data as of Sept. 24 showed that the deaths climbed to 40. The SLH said the overall admissions for leptospirosis reached 823, with one patient admitted in the intensive care unit and three undergoing hemodialysis.
Leptospirosis cases still high
MANILA, Philippines — There is still a high admission of leptospirosis cases at the San Lazaro Hospital (SLH), with the majority of cases already in the severe stage. In a radio interview yesterday, SLH’s Adult Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Department head Dr. Rontgene Solante said their current leptospirosis patient admissions stand at 10 to 15 a day. He noted that last week, leptospirosis admissions at SLH was 20 to 30 a day.
San Lazaro Hospital records 22 deaths due to leptospirosis
MANILA, Philippines —The San Lazaro Hospital (SLH) in Manila has recorded a total of 22 deaths due to leptospirosis, latest data as of Sept. 7 showed. As of Friday, there were four admissions for leptospirosis while overall admissions stood at 591. Of the 22 deaths, 72.7 percent were associated with pulmonary hemorrhage.
Health experts press vaccine use as dengue deaths top 300
MANILA, Philippines — Health experts are urging the government to consider vaccines against dengue as several areas report epidemic-level activity despite a nationwide decline in cases this year. Nina Gloriani, former dean of the University of the Philippines Manila College of Public Health, said vaccination should be considered alongside existing dengue prevention measures as the country continues to record deaths and localized outbreaks.
DOH records increase in cases of super flu
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) has recorded an increase in super flu cases in the country. Latest DOH data showed that as of December 2025, 77 cases of influenza A(H3N2) subclade K, also referred to as super flu, were detected nationwide. These cases were among the 326 cumulative influenza A infections that were successfully sequenced from January to November 2025. “Among the 92 A(H3N2) cases, subclade K was mostly detected, accounting for 77 (83.70 percent),” the DOH noted.
‘Get vaccinated vs super flu’
MANILA, Philippines — An infectious disease expert yesterday urged the public to avail themselves of updated flu vaccines to have better protection from the super flu detected in the country last year. According to Dr. Rontgene Solante, this super flu or A(H3N2) subclade K case is “more aggressive because of mutations.” “This means the vaccine’s effectivity is lessened because of (virus) mutations.
Factors associated with COVID-19 in-hospital death and COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 hospitalization in the Philippines during pre-omicron and omicron period: A case-control study (MOTIVATE-P study) | Epidemiology & Infection | Cambr Original
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 December 2024 Takeshi Arashiro [Opens in a new window] , ...Show all authors Show author details Keywords severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)coronavirus disease (COVID-19)epidemiological studyvaccine effectivenessSARS-CoV-2 variantsPhilippines Type Original Paper Information Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 153 , 2025 , e18 Creative Commons This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative...
XBB.1.5 possible to become dominant variant in PH
MANILA - The XBB.1.5 subvariant of Omicron, which is a mutation of the BA.2, could be a dominant variant in the country, a health official said Thursday. "I think it will be especially now that during the first month of January, the WHO [World Health Organization] reports that the top three fast rising variants or subvariant of Omicron one of that is XBB.1.5," said infectious disease expert, Dr. Rontgene Solante, in a televised public briefing.
The importance of getting boosted now and the prospects for a second booster
More than 12 million Filipinos have received their booster shots since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved its inoculation for the general population last December 2021. However, it is concerning that some Filipinos remain hesitant in getting their booster doses.
7 Commandments to revitalize PH safely
We need to emerge from the current recession that has severely impacted livelihoods, so that our countrymen can feed their families and support their communities. The economic enablement of Filipinos translates to their health and welfare. We cannot build back the economy without increasing public transport capacity, which has been operating at only 20-30 percent of pre-pandemic levels.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Rontgene
Contact Rontgene, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack