TACLOBAN CITY, Jan. 25 -- The national government has allocated at least 2.47 million praziquantel tablets for Eastern Visayas to combat schistosomiasis, a disease endemic in the region.

Agnes Cuayzon, DOH regional schistosomiasis program manager, said there was no supply of the medicine for months last year but is now available in several local government units of the region.

"We have already delivered these tablets to several local government units to administer this drug. Our call to residents in endemic communities is to avail this medicine to avoid complications due to schistosomiasis," Cuayzon said in an interview Wednesday.

The Department of Health defines schistosomiasis as an acute and chronic disease caused by parasitic worms...