DOH: Southern Leyte first filaria-free province

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Health (DOH) yesterday declared Southern Leyte the first filaria-free province in the country, boosting efforts to eliminate the disease in 40 other provinces.

“After seven consecutive years of mass drug administration and support from our partners like the World Health Organization, Glaxo-SmithKline, Department of Education and local government units, especially the barangay health workers, we are celebrating this milestone to show the world that lymphatic filariasis can be beaten,” said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.

Efforts to get rid of the disease in Southern Leyte was in response to the 1997 World Health Assembly which urged member nations to eliminate the disease as a public health problem and the directive of President Arroyo to establish a national program to eradicate it.

Also known as elephantiasis, filariasis is caused by thread-like parasitic worms Wuchereria bancrofti and Brugia malayhi that lodge in the lymphatic system, the network of vessels and nodes that maintain fluid balance between the blood and tissues.

It causes enlargement of the entire leg or arm, vulva and breast and genitals, bringing psychological and social stigma on the victims.

Duque said Southern Leyte met the elimination criteria: “that sentinel surveillance must show less than one percent prevalence of microfilaremia in identified and selected areas; no true positives in two- to four-year-old children tested; and that no positives among the 3,000 new school entrants.

All the 18 rural health units and two city health units in the province simultaneously implemented the mass drug administration from 2001 to 2007, flushing out the disease.

“Local government units committed in providing transportation expenditures and provided drugs for the program and conducted continuous advocacy,” Duque said.

The benchmark set by the DOH for coverage of the eligible population was 85 percent but Southern Leyte surpassed this. 

The province accomplished coverage of 88.90 percent in 2001; 89 percent in 2002; 88.5 percent in 2003; 87.83 percent in 2004; 90 percent in 2005; 90.5 percent in 2006; and 90.9 percent in 2007.    

The disease is endemic in 40 other pro-vinces, posing the risk of infection among 23 million Filipinos, if left untreated.

Duque said the challenge now for the DOH is to sustain the status of Southern Leyte so they intend to continue the anti-filariasis surveillance and information campaign and management programs there.