In 2015, the Philippines saw a dramatic increase (50%) in malaria cases with all of these cases resulting in death. These numbers came after a decade of significant decline in malaria cases in the country, raising concerns that this trend could jeopardize the target to have a Malaria-free Philippines by 2030. In response to this, the Philippine Department of Health (DOH) organised a forum in Palawan to intensify malaria control efforts on the island which accounted for 92.6% (7,435 cases) of all cases in the Philippines.
The Malaria Stakeholders Forum in Palawan brought together representatives from various sectors including the government, the health sector, civil society, the religious sectors and media. Together, participants identified reasons for the recent increase, and called for strengthening the response by conducting Indoor Residual Spraying to better target high endemic areas, increase the use of bednets and to bring diagnostic and treatment services closer to patients.
“This forum has been instrumental in getting the malaria elimination efforts back on track” said Dr Gundo Weiler, WHO Representative in the Philippines. “We can still achieve the target of a Malaria-Free Philippines by 2030–which would be a huge success for the country. The WHO continues to provide technical support to the DOH malaria programme and remains committed to achieving this target together.”