Malaria outbreak in Hanjin shipyard under control

The malaria outbreak that affected at least 321 workers and residents in and around a Korean shipbuilding facility in Subic, Zambales, last year is now under control, the chief of the Department of Health in Central Luzon said on Wednesday.

By Tonette Orejas - Philippine Daily Inquirer

The malaria outbreak that affected at least 321 workers and residents in and around a Korean shipbuilding facility in Subic, Zambales, last year is now under control, the chief of the Department of Health in Central Luzon said on Wednesday.

A DOH report said the Korean firm Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Co. Ltd., its subcontractors, and the local and provincial governments would have to take measures to prevent future epidemics because malaria has been found to be “endemic” in the area.

“The situation has been controlled. Per our surveillance, no latest cases have been reported. We are following up on the actions we have recommended in the report,” Dr. Rio Magpantay, DOH regional director, said in a phone interview.

Discovery in Manila

The DOH’s National Epidemiology Center looked into the situation after six of the seven patients at the San Lazaro Hospital in Manila in May last year turned out to be construction workers of Hanjin, the report said.

Hanjin, the single biggest investor in the Philippines in 2005 through a $1.6-billion investment, began construction of its shipyard in late 2006.

The center’s investigation showed that “the barangay with the highest attack rate was Barangay Cawag where Hanjin’s construction site is situated.”

Of the 201 cases monitored from January to May last year, at least 183 came from Cawag, five in Naugsol, five in Mangan Vaca, two in Calapacuan and six in other villages. The number of cases rose to 321 in June 2007.

“Interview with the [rural health unit] staff revealed that most of the cases were construction workers from Hanjin,” the report said.

Jong Yu Pyeong, Hanjin general manager, said he was “not sure whether it can be called an outbreak or not.”

“I think it should be considered or called as ‘very, very limited’ cases. I never heard any patient admitted to the hospital with verified malaria infection for almost a year,” Jong said.

“We have been having regular seminars and [are] implementing measures to keep our employees off from any hazardous situations,” he said.

Subic Mayor Jeffrey Khonghun did not reply to an Inquirer call for a follow up.

The report’s part on environmental scanning showed that workers who lived outside the Hanjin facility were more vulnerable to malaria, a virus transmitted by mosquito bites.

“Those workers outside Hanjin area were not equipped with personal protective equipment. Their barracks were made from light materials like sacks and tarpaulin. These barracks were not provided with screen. Other workers that were not provided with temporary barracks had no choice but to sleep on the road [in] the construction site,” it added.

Those who lived within the company’s premises wore “personal protective equipment and most of their barracks were made of tent and steel container vans with screen on doors and windows.”

Deforestation

“The outbreak also coincides with the observed annual increases in (the number of) cases during the start of the rainy season. The disruption of the natural habitat of the vectors due to deforestation and construction also contributed to this increase in cases. There were very minimal (sic) animals seen in the area, which could be an alternative source of blood meals for the vector mosquito,” it said.

The “poor compliance of some contractors to do their responsibilities toward their workers” was another factor, the center said. It also noted a “lack of surveillance system” in the area.