July 31,2009

Regional Office Declares Southern Leyte As Filariasis-Free

By Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.

Maasin City, Southern Leyte-The Dept. of Health, regional office, has declared the
province of Southern Leyte as filariasis-free after the continual seven years
(2000-2007) preventive annual mass treatment was completed in the entire province
led by Rural Health Unit physician Dr. Francelisa I. Tan.
Dr. Noel Lumen, IPHO’s Provincial Health Officer 2 disclosed that before the
DOH-RO’s aforesaid declaration, a Regional Filariasis Team has conducted another
random blood sampling extractions preferably to a total of 3,000 children ages
from 6 to 7 years old in various municipalities of the province in May 2008.This
is to see if there’s still a positive indication of the dreaded disease. Those
children subjected to the random blood samplings were living in areas where their
elders were the first to undergone similar blood sampling for laboratory exams.
The Regional Filariasis team, however, found the blood smear examinations from the
children to be negative.
When queried why the Regional Filariasis Team has preferred to extract blood
samplings from the children instead of the adults, Lumen quoting the DOH-RO FT
statement, explained:”At the start of the seven-year duration of preventive mass
treatment of filariasis in Maasin and in the entire province, these children
(referring to those subjected to random blood samplings) were still 1 to 2 years
old, whose age are susceptible to filariasis infection. The negative result of
blood smears laboratory examination means that the conduct of yearly filariasis
mass treatment was effective.However, there’s still the need for the people in the
endemic areas to be alert about the disease.”
Blood Samplings
Earlier,Dr. Tan disclosed that Maasin was chosen in 1999 as the pilot area for
the detection on the existence of filariasis disease. She said the local
filariasis team chose to take blood samples of barangay folks whose areas were
found to have abaca and banana plantations..
The physician revealed that blood smears from some chosen barangay inhabitants,
were preferably taken during the night time because filariasis parasitic worms
were clearly visible in blood. “WE choose to take blood samples of folks during
the night because the blood contents more oxygen at this period than in daytime”,
she unfolded. “Daytime blood examination will not reveal the presence of
filariasis”, she said.
Barangays involved in the program included Matin-ao, Gawisan and some of
Maasin’s neighboring hinterland barangays that have some abaca, banana, gabi and
pandan plantations.
Mass Treatment
Provincial Filariasis Coordinator Celestial Francisco Plateros, Medtech 3 of
the Integrated Health Provincial Office (IPHO) intimated that in 2000, after the
blood samples were found to be positive of the thread-like parasitic worms, mass
treatment was conducted in the entire province until the end of 2007.
Although in the blood examination there was only less than 15 percent that were
infliction with filariasis, it was learned, the coverage of treatment was the
entirety of a certain municipality and the province.
Plateros explained that whether filariasis infection in a certain barangay or
barangays were above or less than what they’ve expected, the entire population of
all barangays under a municipality will undergo mass treatment.
Likewise, if one municipality in a certain province like Southern Leyte has a
manifestation of filariasis infection, the whole province will also undergo mass
filariasis treatment.
The IPHO Medtech said that the abovementioned plants were the habitat of the
filariasis-carrier mosquitoes called aedes poicillius.These night-biting
mosquitoes, she said, will be transmitting the thread-like filariasis parasitic
worms to its victims during the night to those whom they’ve bitten.
She advised that as a form of prevention, people living in the areas where
there are abacas,bananas,gabi and pandan plantations, must start wearing long
pants and long sleeves shirts at 5:00 p.m. and to use mosquito nets and insect
repellants during sleeping time.
Endemic Disease
Dr. Lumen also divulged that filariasis is endemic in Southern Leyte, Davao,
Bukidnon, Sorsogon, Bicol and in some regions, affecting more than 50% of the
country’s provinces. It was learned that filariasis known as “Elephantiasis” is a
chronic parasitic infection that put at risk more than One Million people in 73
countries including the Philippines. The disease is caused by thread-like
parasitic filarial worms, which lodge in the nodes and vessels of the lymphatic
system. These worms live for about 10 years producing millions of immature
microfilariae that circulate in the blood.
Plateros explained that the convergence of filarial parasitic worms in the
lymphatic system have served as a blockade in the normal circulation of the blood,
the reason why some people’s legs and other parts of their bodies afflicted by
filariasis were having an edema or abnormal growth.
Symptoms
Some early symptoms of filariasis disease are fever, chylous urine (buot
ipasabot pariho sa kolor sa kinilis sa bugas), headache. For those who have
advanced infection of filariasis are edemas either in feet, legs, hands, arms, and
the genital organs of both male and female.

Treatment
According to our source the mode of treatment for those who were afflicted with
filariasis is a regular taking of two kinds of medicines (Diethyl Carbamazine and
Abbendazale) for 2 weeks or more, depending upon the condition of patients. Aside
from this process,re-examination of the patients’ blood smears are also to be
conducted to see if these patients still need further treatment for complete
healing. Nevertheless, the formation of the patients’ deformities on different
parts of their bodies can no longer be vanished and will remain as the
patients’indeligible stigmatic mark, except perhaps by some kind of operations.
Origin
Plateros further divulged that according to information that she has gathered
the thread-like parasitic filarial worms are found in some animals in Africa,
where the disease was first discovered and spread to other countries “When the
mosquitoes like aedes poicillius will bite infected animals or persons with
filariasis, it becomes its carrier and would be transmitted to some people who
will be bitten by them, thus there’s an inevitable spread of the disease”, she
added.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)

July 31,2009
Blessing And Inauguration Of New PAC Bldg. Held
By Quirico M, Gorpido,Jr.

Maasin City, Southern Leyte-A newly-finished 3-room Poverty Alleviation Center

building constructed at the new reclamation area in brgy.Combado,this city, was
blessed and inaugurated recently.
Mayor Maloney Samaco cut the ceremonial ribbon and was assisted by PIA Regional
Director Erlinda Olivia P. Tiu and some city officials. The blessing followed
which was officiated by a Diocese Of Maasin priest Giovanni “Joey” Luzon. After
the blessing, a prayer was led by PIA-Maasin head Erna Sy Gorne.City Agriculturist
Amado Acasio gave his welcome message, while Mayor Samaco delivered his
inspirational talk.
In his talk Samaco also thanked Congressman Roger Mercado for helping the city
government built the new building. He however, did not mention the total cost of
constructing the edifice. It was the DPWH engineers who have built the building,
he said.
PIA-RD Tiu, the guest speaker, has expressed her thankfulness to the City
Government for luckily choosing PIA-Maasin as one of the occupants to one of the
building’s 3 spacious rooms.This was instead of the Technical Education Skills
Development Authority (TESDA) office that was earlier rumored as one of its
occupants.
The Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Regional Director also told the
audience that it would be more accessible now for the PIA-Maasin staff to
interview the farmers-turned-entrepreneurs who are the priority clients of the
City Agriculture Office (CAO).The situation is also true to the City Social
Welfare Development office’s underprivileged clients for human interest stories.
The 2 aforementioned offices are now occupying separately the 2 other spacious
rooms. The newly-transferred city government offices have flanked the PIA
office.PIA was formerly sharing a small space of the Area Coordinating Center’s
office located near the Governor’s office at the provincial capitol. Its present
new office is a walking distance from the new market and bus terminal. Also built
at the new reclamation area were the two new two-storey high school buildings of
the City High School Division.
City Social Welfare Services head, Maria Febe Sta. Cruz for her part, also
expressed her gratitude and thankfulness to Congressman Mercado for granting her
request to have a new CSWS office’s.”Sa ning-aging pipila ka tuig guipabalhin kami
guikan sa city hall ngadto sa daan nga elementary school building”, she said in
Cebuano.”Karon nga ania nay bag-ong building dinhi sa bag-ong reclamation area,
hinaut nga dili na kami pabalhinon ngadto sa laing lugar ug dinhi na kami
magpermanente.”(During the previous years, we were instructed to transfer from the
city hall to the old elementary school building. Now that we have a new building
here in new reclamation area, we hope that we no longer be ordered to move out
again but be allowed to stay here permanently”.)
On the other hand, the incumbent Congressman was not able to attend the affair
because he was out of town. Likewise, his younger brother Governor Damian Mercado
was not also available.
The former was represented by his son Abgao Barangay Captain Nacional “Nikko”:
Mercado. While the latter was represented by Dodi Fernandez, head of the
Provincial Disaster Management Center which was located at the Capitol Site
Compound.
During the same occasion some Day Care Center officers were also inducted by
Mayor Samaco.Moreover, the aforesaid blessing and inauguration have coincided with
Samaco’s 21st wedding anniversary. Food were served to all those who were present.
The event was also attended by some City Councilors, barangay officials, the
local press and some city hall employees.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)