Problems with filariasis control in the Philippines.

Problems with filariasis control in this country of more than seven thousand islands are presented and discussed according to the political, economic, and socio-behavioral aspects. Discussed are issues relating not only to the recipients of the health services and control programs but also to the people in the control program and disease control managers. Marinduque, a recently described endemic focus of lymphatic filariasis, is used to illustrate the many problems affecting the control efforts in the Philippines. The true impact of the problem has not been described lately, hence the need for epidemiologic, social, and economic impact studies.