Palawan PHO eyes malaria eradication by 2025

The Provincial Health Office (PHO) on Tuesday is eyeing the total eradication of malaria in Palawan by 2025. Aileen Balderian, PHO malaria coordinator, told Palawan News that they can rid the province of the dreaded disease in seven years. “Siyempre dapat always positive, yes. Sa mga volunteers palang natin lahat ng effort ginagawa [nila]. ‘Yon pa rin ang strength ng program, [ang mga volunteers] na walang sawang nagseserbisyo sa kanilang mga munisipyo… talagang gumagalaw sila para ma-abot ‘yong mga kaso,” Balderian said. Currently our eradication efforts against malaria is at 70 per- cent of the total requirement. Of the 147,844 patients they tested from January to December this year, 3793 were positve or a decrease of 31 percent, Balderian said. She pointed out that the province’s topography makes it very conducive for mosquitoes to breed easily. “Dapat sana ang target for this year is 1,500 [cases] lang sana, ang gusto kasi ng national is kalahatiin natin ang 2017. Medyo mabagal ang pagbaba ng kaso, marami kaming kino-consider [at] tinitingnan na factors kung bakit ganun din kabagal ‘yong pagababa ng kaso… isa sa tinitingan ang environment din natin mismo,” she said. She added that they have observed a pattern wherein malaria

cases are continuously increasing every two years, before approaching a downward movement on the third year. The PHO with Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc. (PSFI) and other partners is conducting a three-day meeting (October 16-18) with the “malaria point or focal persons” from different municipalities all over Palawan. The meeting entitled “Moving Towards Malaria Elimination: An Organizational Caucus” aims to provide updates on the manual of procedures for malaria. “Isa sa gusto namin ay mas maintindihan ng local government, na sila mismo mag-isip ng mga strategy na puwede nilang gawin, na sila lang,” Balderian said.