WHO designates malaria collaborating center in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines – The Research Institute for Tropical Medicine has been designated as the Collaborating Centre for Malaria Diagnosis in the country by the World Health Organization, the Department of Health announced Friday.

More than recognition of the DoH’s commitment to the country’s health research, Health Secretary Enrique Ona said that the development was “a welcome boost in our efforts to eliminate malaria.”

The RITM is the principal arm of the DoH in “advanced research and development in (the) prevention and control of infectious and tropical diseases.”

The institute’s parasitology department maintains a specimen bank where malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) were tested and evaluated, the health department said.

It is capable of evaluating commercial malaria RDTs in collaboration with the WHO and maintaining a regional malaria blood film. It also gives expert microscopy services to assess other malaria diagnostic and lab tests in the product development stage, and applicable technical advice on laboratory-based malaria diagnosis to WHO and other groups.

The 765 cases of malaria from January to May 14 this year were 52 percent lower compared to the same period last year (1,595), the National Epidemiology Center (NEC) of the health department reported. But the death rate this year (13 deaths) was higher than last year’s (10 deaths), it added.

Majority of the cases affected men and those aged 1 to 10 years. The endemic provinces in the country with the most number of cases were Palawan (292 cases), Tawi-Tawi (185 cases), Occidental Mindoro (57 cases), Saranggani Province (37 cases), Cagayan (31 cases) and Zambales (29 cases).

The Philippines was listed in the World Malaria Report of 2008 as one of the best performing countries in terms of its reduction of malaria morbidity and mortality.

Protozoan parasites called Plasmodium causes malaria, a disease transmitted through an infected female Anopheles mosquito’s bite, blood transfusion, sharing IV needles, or through transfer of malaria parasites from an infected mother to her unborn child.