Luna, Apayao - The Provincial Health Office (PHO)-Apayao reported the province has achieved a Malaria-free status.
A malaria free status is declared after five consecutive years of zero-case detection, and the province had such record from 2015 to 2020.
Based on record, there were a total of 7,178 Malaria cases recorded in the province since 2002. The highest of was recorded in 2002 with 3,078 cases, but the number decreased by 92 percent five years later.
In 2007 to 2012, out of the 133 barangays, about 46% were classified as malaria endemic areas with only 54% considered as malaria prone. The decline continued as the years progressed through 2020.
Out of the total cases, only seven deaths were recorded and five of the incidents were recorded in 2002.
PHO-I Dr. Mark Joleen Calban said that the microstratification of the 133 barangays from 2002 to 2020 showed a rapid decrease in the number with stable, unstable, and sporadic transmission, and a consistent increase of barangays cleared of the disease.
For this, Calban said that effective surveillance was among the key interventions in Malaria elimination programs in the province that evidently resulted to the steady decline of cases recorded in the last two decades.
The institutionalization of the surveillance strategy in the province called “Malaria Paksiaten” played a vital role in Malaria detection and response, PHO said.
This includes three essential components namely, establishment of malaria diagnostic centers, training of human resource complement to man said centers, and the conduct of case-finding activities through Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDT).
“And this was also made possible with institutionalization of the referral system in the province, with the assistance of the Department of Health (DOH), Rural Health Units (RHUs) and, sharing the same vision being Malaria-free, our collaborative work with Region 2 which, like Apayao, cases of Malaria were also alarming at that time,” Calban added.
The PHO also said that the achievement is a result of diversified risk reduction strategies that include Communication of Behavioral Impact (COMBI) and vector control.
“To ensure the sustainability of the Malaria-free status in the province and prevent the resurgence of the disease, we still need to strengthen further our surveillance and response capabilities of the Malaria Elimination Hub,” Calban said.
In line with this, the PHO is also looking to craft policies and regulations, in coordination with the local legislative bodies, aimed at the prevention of the re-introduction of said disease.
Along with such policies, PHO said they are planning to implement a Malaria Sustainability Program, and, in the process, conduct refresher courses for their concerned medical personnel as well as reactivating the Online Malaria Information System (OLMIS) in the province.
Considering that surveillance accounts for the best part of the Malaria elimination efforts, Dr. Calban also said that among the sustainability mechanisms that should be put in place is the implementation of the1-3-5 strategy.
The 1-3-5 approach targets reporting of confirmed cases within one day, investigation of specific cases within three days, and targeted control measures within five days.
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