New cases of Filariasis reported from Kooddoo factory
The new cases were discovered during a routine health screening of expatriates working at the Kooddoo factory.
Summary
The new cases were discovered during a routine health screening of expatriates working at the Kooddoo factory.
The Kooddoo fish processing plant in Gaafu Alif Atoll have reported that three of its expat staff have been found to be positive for filariasis
Cases of filariasis, which was eradicated in the Maldives had been reported in HDh. Kulhudhuffushi last December during a routine health screening of resident expatriate workers.
More cases were later reported from the reclaimed suburb Hulhumale leading to a nation wide health screening program.
Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO) spokesperson Ibrahim Saeed told Atoll Times on Sunday that the new cases were discovered during a routine health screening of expatriates working at the Kooddoo factory.
According to Saeed,
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The trio positive for filariasis are Indian nationals
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All three have since been treated and returned to work
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Staff working in MIFCO factories are being screened
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The operations at Kooddoo have not been disrupted
Filariasis is commonly spread by the Culex mosquito, which lives in dirty water. This is a different mosquito from the Aedes mosquito that spreads chikungunya and dengue.
Filariasis is a parasitic infection caused by microscopic worms. The disease is spread by the bite of blood-feeding insects, such as mosquitoes. When a mosquito bites a person with filariasis, the worms in the person's blood infect the mosquito. The mosquito then transmits the disease to other people.
The last case of filariasis was reported in 2004 in L. Fonadhoo. The survey conducted since 2008 has not found any new cases of filariasis, the Health Ministry said.
