Pangasinan confident of malaria-free status

LINGAYEN, Philippines  – The Pangasinan health office is confident the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Department of Health (DOH) will declare the province malaria-free, an official said yesterday.

No case of malaria has been recorded in the province since 2010, Anna Ma. Teresa de Guzman, provincial health officer, told The STAR.  

“We are going to be assessed by the WHO and DOH, and we are confident of the declaration,” De Guzman said.

She said public awareness, the use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets and coordination with neighboring provinces on fogging operations were among the factors that led to zero malaria incidence in the province.