SoCot eyes leprosy-free status

GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- The provincial government of South Cotabato is pushing for the province's declaration in the next two years as leprosy-free.

John Arlo Codilla, infectious diseases coordinator of the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO), said Tuesday the province’s prevalence rate for leprosy has steadily decreased in the past eight years and has been down to less than 1 percent per 10,000 population.

“We are positive that we can get the declaration since we only have three cases right now," he said in a briefing.

Codilla said the remaining documented cases in the province's 10 towns and lone city are all undergoing proper medication.

A province may be declared as leprosy-free if the concerned local government unit reports a low prevalence rate of disease, and it is below the national case rate in at least five years.

Codilla said they have been closely monitoring the remaining cases of leprosy in the area to ensure the proper recovery of the patients.

The IPHO has been providing for the needed medicines of the patients and other necessary assistance, he added.

"We're now moving towards the elimination of the disease and we're hoping to achieve that by 2020," he added. (PNA)