Intestinal helminth infections caused by soil-transmitted helminths and schistosomes bring about the greatest burden of disease in poverty-stricken areas in the developing world. The most vulnerable group and the most significant contributors to disease transmission are the school-age children. While awaiting major improvements on sanitation, the recommended strategy for helminth control is school-based, teacher assisted, mass drug administration (MDA). However, millions of individuals worldwide remain afflicted with these diseases, and the Philippines is no different from many of the developing countries. The overall objective of this paper is to review current Philippine control programs and initiatives and offer evidence based recommendations for improvement. Discrepancies between parasitologic parameters and drug coverage rates pose significant challenges in the control and prevention of helminth infections in the country. School-based MDA may be scaled up after successful local initiatives, where teachers have direct participation in drug administration. There is also a need to involve the social science sector to help address the behavioral aspects of helminth control. Moreover, monitoring and evaluation of interventions through identification of success parameters will contribute to the optimization of school-based helminth control, and to strategies towards effective control of intestinal helminth infections as a public health problem in the country.
Ascaris ; Trichuris ; Schistosomiasis

INTRODUCTION: Stigmatizing attitudes are barriers to treatment of mental health disorders. The burden of stigma has not been established locally. This study aimed to assess the stigma in the community by determining the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of barangay residents towards mental health and persons with mental health illness. METHODS: A total of 422 participants were included using convenience sampling. Participants were given self-administered questionnaires that consisted of the Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS), Community Attitudes Towards the Mentally Ill (CAMI), and Reported and Intended Behavior Scale (RIBS) tools. The mean scores and percentages were computed and compared across the sociodemographic data of the respondents. RESULTS: Knowledge levels were relatively high with a mean score of 26.63. Depression, stress, bipolar disorder and drug addiction were recognized as mental illnesses by the majority of the participants. Scores in the stigmatizing ideologies authoritarianism (3.07) and social restrictiveness (2.58) were low, while the positive ideologies benevolence (3.76) and community health ideology (3.85) had higher scores. Participants were reluctant to work with mentally-ill people (3.18) but were willing to be friends with them (3.87). CONCLUSION This study concludes that the respondents were generally knowledgeable about mental health illness. There was a general acceptance and less stigmatizing attitude, and a willingness to interact with people with mental illness.
psychiatry ; Mental health ; Social Stigma

Dermatitis, Allergic Contact ; Patch Tests