Long-term plan drafted to rid nation of malaria

VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Health has drafted a national strategy to eradicate malaria over the next 20 years through early diagnoses, effective treatment and preventative measures.

Staff at a Malaria Prevention Centre in central Quang Ngai Province soak mosquito-nets in insect repellent to curb the spread of malaria in Son Tay District. The country has set itself the ambitious target of wiping out the potentially fatal disease by 2030. (Photo: VNS)

The proposed strategy, covering the period of 2011-20 with a vision to 2030, aims to eliminate the disease in 40 provinces and cities by 2020 and targets a reduction in the infection rate in the remaining areas to fewer than 15 per thousand persons and the fatality rate to under 2 per 10 million. Full eradication of the disease would take place by 2030.

Early diagnoses and effective treatment would be provided by State or private medical units to 95 per cent of malaria patients by 2015 and over 98 per cent in the following five years.

"Efforts will be focused on maintaining a high density of chemical sprays along with early diagnoses and effective treatment for patients in severely-hit areas," said the deputy director of the National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology, Le Xuan Hung. "Mosquito nets and spray chemical substance will be provided free of charge to the poor and people in high-risk areas."

Public awareness on malaria prevention would also be strengthened under the strategy to mobilise entire communities into the nationwide fight against malaria.

The Ministry of Health has estimated that around VND3.6 trillion (US$175million) would be allocated to carry out the strategy through 2020, with 34 per cent to come from State and local budgets and over 65 per cent from international assistance.

Although the malaria infection rate had been reduced by 96 per cent over the past 10 years, challenges remained to eliminating the disease entirely, said Hung.

"This is due to the fact that many people still reside in severely-hit areas and a high number of people emigrate between regions and countries, especially in mountainous and border areas of the central provinces and the Central Highlands," said Hung.

The public health sector also faced a shortage of staff working in malaria prevention, particularly in rural and far-flung areas, he added.

"Priority should be given to preventing malaria in the central region," said Trieu Nguyen Trung, director of the Quy Nhon Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology in the central province of Binh Dinh.

While the region has seen a sharp decline in malaria infections in recent years, with only eight fatalities in the central region and Central Highlands last year, fatality rates could increase in the near future due to difficulties in controlling the disease in areas along the borders with Cambodia and Laos, which have a high rate of malaria infection and parasites with a high prevalence of malaria drug resistance, said Trung.

Traditional malaria control methods had proven ineffective with nomadic populations, he added, calling for greater financial support from individuals and organisations and more effective public information measures.

Viet Nam currently has more than 15 million people living in areas with high malaria prevalence. A majority of those areas are poverty-stricken.

According to statistics of the National Programme on Malaria Prevention and Control, the country had 54,000 malaria cases last year, with 21 fatalities.

But the nation has achieved remarkable results in malaria prevention in recent years, with 62 per cent of districts and towns in 16 provinces and cities nationwide reporting no cases in 2009. The current malaria infection rate is 61 per 10,000 people, an 84-per-cent decline from the year 2000.

The Ministry of Health will gather public comment on its draft strategy before submiting it to the Government for approval.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News