DIPOLOG CITY (PIA) – The Department of Health (DOH), through the Zamboanga del Norte Provincial Health Office (PHO) partnered with the USAID to celebrate World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Day on 30 January 2025 with the theme “Strengthening Partnerships for a Healthier Future: Advancing NTD Elimination in the Philippines.”
Representatives from the different cities and municipalities throughout the province attended the event which kicked off with a motorcade throughout the city before arriving at the Zamboanga del Norte Convention and Exhibition Center where a program was held to spread information on NTDs.
During the program, Dr. Almira Gatchalian, chief of the Other Infectious Diseases Prevention and Elimination Division, gave national updates on NTDs.
A group of parasitic, bacterial, and viral diseases, NTDs disproportionately affect marginalized communities despite the progress in reducing their burden.
According to Augusto Manolo Alpichi, local health support division chief of the Department of Health Zamboanga Peninsula-Center for Health Development, Zamboanga del Norte is the last province in the region requiring mass drug administration to address Lymphatic Filariasis, one of the three NTDs remaining in the province, the other two being Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis which is prevalent in underserved communities with inadequate sanitation and hygiene, and rabies which remains a concern due to limited vaccine supplies, low awareness, and weak enforcement of animal control.
In closing, representatives from the different local government units throughout the province participated in the pledge of commitment to fight NTDs and completely eliminate these diseases and create a healthier, brighter future not just for Zamboanga del Norte, but the entire Zamboanga Peninsula. (EDT/PJF/PIA9-Zamboanga del Norte)
