By Gabriela Baron
The Department of Health (DOH) declared on Thursday, Feb. 2, the Province of Oriental Mindoro as malaria-free.
In a message, DOH Officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire lauded all technical and administrative staff, healthcare workers, volunteers, and partners at the regional, provincial, municipal, and barangay levels who have made malaria elimination in the province possible.
Vergeire underscored the need for the province’s gains to be maintained to prevent re-establishment of transmission of the disease.
“We wish to congratulate all of you for this milestone, but our work does not end here,” she continued.
“The gains achieved by the province must be maintained to prevent re-establishment of transmission through several strategies such as maintained functionality of the provincial elimination hub to undertake malaria surveillance and response, health promotion, malaria case management including orientation of front-line providers and vector control, and other on-the-ground measures that need to be sustained,” she added.
Malaria is a life-threatening yet preventable and treatable disease caused by anopheles mosquito or rarely through blood transfusion and sharing of contaminated needles, according to DOH.
Symptoms of malaria include fever, headache, and chills that usually appear 10 to 15 days after getting bitten.
If left untreated, an infected person may experience kidney failure, coma, and in severe cases, death.
In 2020, an estimated 241 million cases of malaria were recorded worldwide. –ag
