Risk of malaria outbreak again if subjective

Although the number of malaria cases has decreased and there have been no deaths, there is still a potential risk of malaria outbreaks.

There are still difficulties

In the first 6 months of 2023, Binh Thuan recorded 1 case of malaria in Binh Tan commune (Bac Binh), with no deaths. Compared to the same period in 2022, the number of malaria cases in the first 6 months of 2023 decreased by 50%. Accordingly, the malaria incidence rate per 1,000 people also decreased by 0.0008. The whole province has 7/10 districts, towns and cities in malaria-endemic areas. Of which, there are 3 key malaria districts including Bac Binh, Ham Thuan Bac and Tanh Linh, with the risk of epidemics at the commune and village levels. The population at risk of malaria accounts for more than 45% of the province's population.

Malaria prevention communication contest

According to the Provincial Center for Disease Control, Binh Thuan is one of the provinces in the Central Highlands region, with a high risk of malaria. Although the malaria situation is stable, there are still many potential risk factors. The lives of people in highland communes and ethnic minorities are still difficult, uncontrolled spontaneous migration, population movement from other provinces; between localities in the province from areas where malaria is no longer circulating to areas where malaria is circulating to exploit forest products. Local people go to work as hired laborers to exploit bamboo, reed, rattan... to work in the fields and sleep overnight in temporary camps in the forest, not applying malaria prevention measures, which is the main cause of the risk of malaria outbreaks. In addition, unusual weather changes cause malaria vectors to recover, appearing in many places with high density, so the risk of malaria is high. Spraying and treating chemicals to kill malaria-transmitting mosquitoes in key communes has not been implemented due to lack of chemicals. From 2022 to present, there has been no funding for disease prevention and control activities, and there is a lack of drugs, supplies, and chemicals. This makes it difficult to eliminate malaria according to the roadmap to 2026.

Raising public awareness

To eliminate malaria according to the roadmap, the health sector and localities have implemented many synchronous solutions. One of the key solutions is to focus on malaria prevention communication for high-risk groups, migrants to areas where malaria is prevalent, and raise public awareness of the disease. Accordingly, the Provincial Center for Disease Control organized a contest "Students participate in malaria prevention communication" in Phan Son and Phan Lam communes (Bac Binh), sponsored by Health Poverty Action (HPA) in Vietnam, for the period 2021-2023. These communes are identified to have a high number of malaria parasites and a large concentration of ethnic minorities who often go to the forest and sleep in the fields.

Ms. Mo Nga - a resident of Phan Son (Bac Binh) said: “After watching the propaganda contest on malaria prevention, I grasped and remembered the prevention measures and will convey and remind people around me. Anyone who goes to the fields and forests must wear a mosquito net and sleep under a mosquito net. Anyone with someone in the family with malaria must go to a medical facility.”

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