This study was a follow-up to the baseline nationwide survey of soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections in preschool-aged children in the Philippines and in school-aged children in selected sentinel sites to assess the Integrated Helminth Control Program of the Department of Health. The objective of the study was to describe the current prevalence and intensity of STH infections in preschool-aged and school-aged children in 6 sentinel provinces and to compare these data with baseline findings. A cross-sectional study design was used to determine the prevalence and intensity of STH infections. Parasitological assessment involved the examination of stool samples by the Kato-Katz method. Although parasitological parameters in the 2 age groups at follow-up showed significant reductions from the baseline, these parameters remained high despite 3 years of mass drug administration (MDA). Efforts toward achieving high MDA coverage rates, provision of clean water, environmental sanitation, and promotion of hygiene practices must be prioritized.

A significant portion of the population in the Philippines consists of indigenous people (IP) groups, approximately 9% or 8.1 million. Data on the health status of these groups are very limited including the status of soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections. Provision of such data will be of great importance in the formulation of policy on control and prevention of these diseases in this group. This study was conducted in selected villages/barangays in the municipalities of Carmen, Kapalong, San Isidro and Sto. Tomas in the Province of Davao del Norte in Southern Mindanao, Philippines. Parasitologic assessment was performed using Kato-Katz to qualify and quantify STH infections, while nutritional status assessment was based on hemoglobin determination and on nutritional status indicators, i.e., weight-for-age (WFA), height-for-age (HFA), and body mass index (BMI) for age derived from anthropometric measurements. A total of 572 school children participated in the survey, 264 (46.2%) of whom belonged to a specific IP group. Results showed that 34.1% of the school children had at least one STH infection while 5.9% had heavy intensity infections. Cumulative prevalence in IP school children was significantly higher than in non-IP children with rates at 39.0% and 29.9%, respectively (P = 0.021). Overall prevalence of school children with below normal WFA was 29.9%, while prevalence of those with below normal HFA and BMI for age was 42.8% and 14.9%, respectively. Of those examined, 8.3% had below normal hemoglobin levels. There was no significant difference observed between the nutritional status parameters of IP and non-IP school children. The parasitologic parameters reported in this study signify the need to pay more attention to IP children who are at higher risk of morbidity due to helminth infections. Access of IP communities to quality health services, which include mass drug administration (MDA) and health education on a regular basis, must be ensured. Further studies to determine factors that contribute to the higher prevalence of STH among IP groups are recommended.

Background: Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and paragonimiasis remain as health problems in certain areas in the Philippines. Both share similar clinical manifestations, which include chronic productive cough, hemoptysis, dyspnea, fever, weight loss, and night sweats. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of PTB, paragonimiasis, and co-infections in Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines. Methods: This study was conducted in selected villages in two municipalities in Zamboanga del Norte. Patients with chronic cough were interviewed, examined, and requested to submit two sputum samples which were processed using Ziehl-Neelsen method to detect acid-fast bacilli (AFB), and NaOH concentration technique for the detection of Paragonimus ova. Results: A total of 836 patients submitted sputum samples for examination. Prevalence was 6.7% (2.5-12.7%) for paragonimiasis and 1.9% (0.9-6.3%) for PTB. Co-infection rate was 0.3%, with two identified cases. Positivity rates for males and females were 9.6 and 5.8% for paragonimiasis and 3.4 and 1.2% for PTB. Conclusion: Pulmonary tuberculosis and paragonimiasis are co-endemic in Zamboanga del Norte, suggesting the need to integrate surveillance and control efforts. Strengthening local health systems through collaboration between different sectors is recommended for effective disease control. Development of more sensitive diagnostic tests is important for more accurate disease surveillance.

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The malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum replicates via schizogony: an unusual type of cell cycle involving asynchronous replication of multiple nuclei within the same cytoplasm. Here, we present the first comprehensive study of DNA replication origin specification and activation during Plasmodium schizogony. Potential replication origins were abundant, with ORC1-binding sites detected every ∼800 bp. In this extremely A/T-biased genome, the sites were biased towards areas of higher G/C content, and contained no specific sequence motif. Origin activation was then measured at single-molecule resolution using newly developed DNAscent technology: a powerful method of detecting replication fork movement via base analogues in DNA sequenced on the Oxford Nanopore platform. Unusually, origins were preferentially activated in areas of low transcriptional activity, and replication forks also moved fastest through lowly transcribed genes. This contrasts with the way that origin activation is organised in other systems, such as human cells, and suggests that P. falciparum has evolved its S-phase specifically to minimise conflicts between transcription and origin firing. This may be particularly important to maximise the efficiency and accuracy of schizogony, with its multiple rounds of DNA replication and its absence of canonical cell-cycle checkpoints.