Philippines

当財団 では設立の1974年からフィリピンへの支援を続けています。初期は主に医療面での活動支援を行いました。中でも1986年まではアジアにおけるハンセン病対策や、ハンセン病の化学療法についてのトレーニング、ワークショップ、会議の開催、1987年から2004年ころまではハンセン病予防ワクチン研究プロジェクトや多剤併用療法（MDT）の開発と効果を判定するための研究を支援し、アジア諸国や世界ハンセン病専門家のネットワークを築くとともに、アジア諸国でのMDT実施や、その有効性の実証の貢献に大きな役割を果たしました。

ハンセン病担当官や技術者の研修、薬品機材の供与、啓発教材の制作などの支援も行うと同時に、1979年度から1987年度までは、ハンセン病患者や回復者の歯科診療のために日本の歯科医師・技師を派遣するなどの活動を続けてきました。

2003年度からは、回復者の自立支援を柱とした社会的な活動に重点が置かれるようになり、ハンセン病隔離施設としては世界最大級であったクリオン島の回復者とその家族の経済的・社会的自立を目指した活動の支援を行ってきています。

[en]

For nearly 30 years since establishment of Sasakawa Memorial Health Foundation, our activities on Leprosy control in the Philippines were primarily focused on medical aspects. We particularly supported leprosy control in Asia as well as trainings, workshop and conferences for chemotherapy in Leprosy until 1986, and research projects on vaccination for leprosy prevention and researches for evaluating development and effectiveness of MDT between 1987 and 2004. Through these activities, we contributed to establishment of expert networks for Leprosy in Asia and in the world as well as to utilization of MDT in Asian countries and demonstration of its efficacy.

While supporting trainings of officers and technicians in charge of Leprosy, provision of drugs and devices, and production of materials to raise awareness, we also continued activities such as sending Japanese dentists and technicians to provide dental treatments for leprosy patients and for those who recovered from Leprosy between 1979 and 1987.

Since 2003, we have put a focus on social activities primarily to support former patients who recovered from leprosy to become independent, such as supporting activities for former patients and their families in Cullion island, which used to be the world-largest Leprosy isolation facility, to become economically and socially independent.

In 1975, we established an expert team which first developed a method to eliminate soil nematode and after 1978 a strategy to control filariasis.

In 1979, Japanese experts and the division of schistosomiasis control in the department of health of the Philippines government had a meeting on their cooperative activities. At that time, they selected Bohol Island (100 km from East to West, 2 municipalities in the Northeast end, population around 6,000), which had been well known for spread of schistosomiasis yet excluded from the coverage of government supports, as a target to work on.

Schistosoma grow in shellfish and infect humans through their skin under the water where they swim in the form of larvae. We sent 4 Japanese experts every year to the Philippines and invited Filipino researchers to Japan for training. Then we continued providing supports such as sending drugs (for treatments or eliminating shellfish), moving vehicles and devices to the island. After 1986, the source of infection was reduced to the half after eliminating shellfish twice a year, and the number of patients also decreased dramatically with thorough treatments. After 1989, the department of health of the Philippines government started to make even more efforts aiming for “complete elimination of schistosomiasis on Bohol Island” as an administrative goal and almost completed this mission. We continued sending Japanese experts until 1999 and contributed to schistosomiasis control in the Philippines.

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