PH malaria-free by 2020?

MANILA, Philippines – The health department says malaria cases in the Philippines had gone down by 80 % from 2003 to 2011, raising the hopes that the country will be free of the disease by year 2020.

“This decrease is the lowest malaria level on record for the country in 42 years, with only 9,642 cases in 2011 as compared to 43,441 in 2003,” said Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Enrique Ona in a statement.  

“Based on these data, the Philippines has a very high possibility of being declared malaria-free by 2020,” Ona said.

Halting and reversing the incidence of malaria by 2015 is Millennium Development Goal Number 6. The trend indicates that the Philippines might be able to meet this goal.

Ona cautions, though, that the journey towards elimination status is “more difficult than working for a reduction in cases and we will need more commitments and resolutions of the different sectors to be consolidated into a singular, comprehensive initiative so that the whole country, not just the 58 endemic provinces, will be declared malaria-free by 2020.”

The health department statement showed such development was achieved after the DOH met with the governors of the malaria-endemic provinces; mayors of 10 cities affected; health officials from regional, provincial and city health offices and other stakeholders and they came up with anti-malaria program dubbed “Biyaheng Kulambo.”

Under the program, long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets were used in the affected communities, leading to the decline cases.

Of the 58 provinces currently listed as endemic for malaria, nine have reached “elimination status” after having no cases for at least 3 years.  These are Abra, Batanes, Camarines Sur, Cavite, Dinagat, Laguna, Misamis Oriental, Quirino, and Romblon.

Forty provinces, on the other hand, are on the way to elimination as they reported less than one case per 1,000 population-at-risk, according to the health department.  Ten provinces have managed to control cases.

Only the provinces of Palawan and Tawi-tawi have reported more than 1,000 cases annually while only the provinces of Sulu, Maguindanao, Mindoro Occidental and Zambales have had more than 100 cases but less than 500 cases a year.

Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite called Plasmodium which is transmitted via the bites of infected Anopheles mosquitoes, or from mother to child in the womb, or blood transfusion.

Symptoms include high fevers, shaking chills, flu-like symptoms, anemia, bloody stools, nausea, and vomiting. 

See distribution of Malaria cases in the Philippines as of 2010 in our disease tracker map. – Rappler.com