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By Francis Earl A. Cueto, Reporter
Seventeen residents of Antipolo
City were taken to hospital on Monday with symptoms of malaria, as
health officials prepared to fumigate several Antipolo barangays to
kill the mosquitoes that carry the disease.
Of the 17 patients, eight were
confirmed to be suffering from malaria, the Antipolo Health Center
said.
The center said it was expecting
more suspected malaria patients to be hospitalized before the day
ended.
Center officials said they were
having a hard time in detecting and treating the cases because of a
power failure in the area.
The Antipolo health office said
that from January 1 to June 8, there have been 324 confirmed cases
of malaria out of 600 patients who had been taken to hospital.
Health officials will conduct
blood smearing and blood surveys Tuesday in neighborhoods with the
biggest number of malaria cases.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque
3rd said the blood survey would be conducted in the villages of San
Jose and San Juan.
He said the survey would likely
“extend” to nearby towns such as San Mateo, where the
malaria-carrying mosquitoes might have originated.
San Jose village has a population
of 55,136 and San Juan has 5,583.
Duque said the survey aims to
determine the extent of malaria cases in Rizal.
He said health officials have
medicines, facilities for residual spraying and 40,000 mosquito nets
ready for distribution in malaria-hit areas.
“We have no problem with
logistics. While health services had been devolved, we are keeping
tabs on the situation and will step in if our help is needed,”
Duque said.
Malaria parasites are transmitted
by the female Anopheles mosquito, which lays eggs in clean stagnant
water.
Malaria is one of the most common
infectious diseases and an enormous public-health problem. The
disease is caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium.
He said the health department
continues to conduct campaigns against another mosquito-borne
disease, dengue, after noting a six-percent increase in dengue cases
this year over 2006.
He reiterated his appeal to
residents to keep their surroundings clean and to remain vigilant
even after fogging operations.
Duque said that in Singapore,
dengue cases rose despite the city-state’s penchant for
cleanliness.
“Residents in high-rise condos
forgot that flowerpots could be a breeding ground for mosquitoes,”
he said.
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