Director Gonzaga said that Region 8 is the first region that was declared by the National Filariasis Elimination Program as filariasis free in the Philippines with Southern Leyte as the first filariasis free province while Biliran has been declared as the third province to be free from said disease.


However, the DOH official said that there are however four more provinces in the Region that have endemic filariasis cases. These are Samar, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar and Leyte.


The four provinces were declared as endemic because during the conduct of baseline survey, they had more than one percent of microfilaria rate patients.


In Leyte province, the two municipalities with high number of filariasis cases are Mahaplag and Hindang.


The Department of Health will give free medicines for those who are infected with microfilaria. These include diethylcarbamazine nitrate and Albendazole.


It is the local government that will shoulder the expenses for medicines which the patients will drink when they feel the side effects of taking the medicines.


The DOH is appealing to all local chief executives to support the campaign to make the Region filariasis-free. (PIA 8)


Source: Philippine Information Agency

DOH intensifies campaign for a Filariasis-free Eastern Visayas