DABAWENYOS are advised not to be complacent despite Davao City being declared as filariasis-free, since the disease is a serious medical condition, wherein signs and symptoms will be visible after five to 10 years after it is transmitted.
Filariasis is a parasitic disease caused by an infection of roundworms of the Filarioidea type. These are mostly carried by aedes poecilus, a type of mosquito, wherein the breeding places are mostly found at banana axils.
City Health Office (CHO) Tropical Disease and Control Division Test Control worker Melodina Babante said the city recorded three cases in 2018 based on their conducted nocturnal mass blood survey in 2017. However, she said the recorded patients are not original residents of the city.
Meanwhile, she said Davao City initially planned to conduct a mass drug administration medication activity for filariasis this month. But she said the activity, which is conducted annually, did not push through since the city was declared free from filariasis.
Despite this, the health worker said the City, in partnership with the Department of Health (DOH), continuously strengthens their information drive to reduce the number of filariasis case in Davao.
"Last year, na-declare na ang Davao City nga filariasis-free, pero di gihapon mi pakumpyansa. After two years, magpahigayon nasab mi og transmission assessment survey diria sa Davao City (Last year, Davao City was declared filariasis-free, but we will not be complacent. After two years, we will be conducting another transmission assessment survey)," Babante told VoxPop Davao.
She said the city will no longer be considered filariasis-free once the number of cases would reach as high as 18 cases, out of the 3,000 individuals they will be testing.
"Kung naa nasab 18 and up cases, ma-consider nasab na nga di na filariasis-free ang city. Balik nasab ta sa mass drug nocturnal blood exam para di nasab mi mubalik utro (If the cases would reach 18 or more, the city would lose its filariasis-free status. We will then be conducting our mass drug nocturnal blood examination so that we won't be going back from scratch)," Babante said.
The CHO worker said the city reached an average of 60-percent positive cases based on their conducted survey during the years between 2006 to 2008.
She said the health office continues to monitor nine filariasis-endemic districts in the city, namely, Buhangin, Paquibato, Sasa, Toril, Baguio, Calinan, Tugbok, Marilog, and Bunawan.
Last February, the Davao City Government received a cash grant of P1 million from the DOH-Davao for achieving a filariasis-free status.
DOH-Davao Director Anabelle Yumang, in a previous interview, said the cash grant will be used for the programs that would maintain the status of the city as filariasis-free.
