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Health and Education Officials’ Perspectives on the Impact of Typhoon Haiyan on Mass Drug Administration for Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infections in the Philippines

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 April 2020

Eva Chernoff Open the ORCID record for Eva Chernoff [Opens in a new window] ,
Gina Silverstein ,
John Paul Caesar R delos Trinos ,
Peter Veldkamp ,
Judy C Chang  and
Vicente Y Belizario Jr.
Eva Chernoff*
Affiliation:
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Department of Psychiatry, New York, New York
Gina Silverstein
Affiliation:
University of North Carolina Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
John Paul Caesar R delos Trinos
Affiliation:
University of Philippines Manila College of Public Health, Manila, Philippines Public Health Interventions Research Group, The Kirby Institute for Infection and Immunity in Society, Sydney, Australia
Peter Veldkamp
Affiliation:
UPMC Division of Infectious Diseases, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Judy C Chang
Affiliation:
University of Pittsburgh Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences and of Internal Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Institute for Clinical Research Education, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Vicente Y Belizario Jr.
Affiliation:
University of Philippines Manila College of Public Health, Manila, Philippines
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Eva Chernoff; 1797 Lexington Avenue, APT 2C, New York, NY 10029 (e-mail: eva.chernoff@gmail.com).
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Abstract

Objectives:

In the Philippines, morbidity control of soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections is done through mass drug administration (MDA) of anthelmintics to school-age children (SAC). In 2013, the Philippines was devastated by the deadliest cyclone ever recorded, Typhoon Haiyan. The study aimed to understand the impact of Typhoon Haiyan on the MDA of anthelmintics to SAC in the provinces of Capiz and Iloilo in the Philippines from the perspectives of local health and education officials.

Methods:

The study was conducted in the municipalities of Panay and Pilar in Capiz and the municipalities of Estancia and Sara in Iloilo, areas that were devastated by Typhoon Haiyan. Qualitative, semi-structured key informant interviews were conducted with 16 total participants, which included officials of the Department of Health, Department of Education, and concerned local government units. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded in an open, iterative manner. Codes were reviewed to identify patterns and themes.

Results:

Participants described the following themes: (1) their perception that the typhoon had no effect on the MDA program or on resources necessary to complete the program; (2) the program’s simple design allowed for 1-time administration to a pre-assembled population; (3) the program allowed a sense of community cohesiveness; (4) the program served as a vehicle for altruism, particularly regarding helping needy children, in this time of calamity.

Conclusions:

Our informants perceived that the MDA program in Region VI was not affected by Typhoon Haiyan. They attributed the resilience to the program’s simple procedure, attitudes of altruism, program importance, and community cohesiveness. Despite Typhoon Haiyan’s mass destruction of infrastructure and livelihood leading to incredible challenges, mobilization of the community allowed for the continuation and successful implementation of the MDA program. The experience of Region VI may serve as a model for other low- and middle-income countries prone to natural disasters.

Keywords

hurricanemass drug administrationneglected tropical diseasesoil-transmitted helminth infectionTyphoon Haiyan
Type
Brief Report
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 15 , Issue 4 , August 2021 , pp. 416 - 420
Copyright
Copyright © 2020 Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

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