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July 30, 2010
LEGAZPI CITY – The Department of Health (DOH) in Bicol declared a malaria epidemic in Camarines Norte after health officials confirmed that 182 villagers in the town of Jose Panganiban were sick of the mosquito-borne disease. The DOH said it has placed the entire province under an epidemic state so that health authorities may undertake massive control and preventive health measures to curb the rising incidence of malaria. Camilo Aquino, DOH malaria coordinator, said a health surveillance team was already sent to assist the Camarines Norte provincial health office initiating treatment and control measures to eradicate or limit the spread of the mosquito-borne disease. Health surveillance team quoting health data gathered from the affected town said most of the victims were children while 20 percent of the malaria was members of a tribal community there.
According to Aquino, health workers find difficulty in administering the malaria treatment because the victims fail to comply with medical treatment procedure that carries a timetable. The mosquito-borne disease originated from the provinces of Palawan and Zambales, Aquino said.
Malaria is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium, which is transmitted via the bites of infected mosquitoes. In the human body, the parasites multiply in the liver, and then infect red blood cells.
Symptoms of malaria include fever, headache, and vomiting, and usually appear between 10 and 15 days after the mosquito bite. If not treated, malaria can quickly become life-threatening by disrupting the blood supply to vital organs. In many parts of the world, the parasites have developed resistance to a number of malaria medicines.