KhmerTimes-Jan 6, 2025
Cambodia achieved significant progress in its fight against malaria, with cases dropping by 74% in 2024, a health official said. Huy Rekol, Director of the National Center for Parasitology, Entomology, and Malaria Control, said that malaria cases fell from 1,384 in 2023 to just 355 in 2024. He added that Cambodia has recorded zero malaria deaths since 2018 and the ongoing National Malaria Eradication Strategy 2011-2025 has been a perfect fit for the regional and global strategy against malaria. The strategy aims to achieve zero cases in all geographies across the country by the end of 2025, which is the ultimate goal. Rekul said that before the National Malaria Eradication Strategy 2011-2025, there were nearly 200,000 reported malaria cases per year (an average of 130,000 cases per year) and 700-800 deaths annually. He explained that the main reason for the growing reduction in malaria cases is due to the initiatives by the Ministry of Health, in particular, the National Centre for Malaria Control.
New strategies and increasing awareness among people living in malaria-prone areas has led to better understanding of how to prevent malaria. Vaccines are also being distributed to people living in areas with the highest risk of malaria such as in Sen Monorom city of Mondulkiri province and Phnom Kravanh district of Pursat province. Mosquito nets are also being provided to those frequenting forest areas. He also gave credit to the availability of adequate equipment such as malaria testing equipment, mosquito nets, and highly effective anti-malarial drugs. The national strategy launched by the head of the government to eradicate malaria has achieved better results in the fight against malaria, he said. He added that Cambodia will be able to eradicate malaria by 2025, as year after year the number of malaria cases has dropped by almost 100%. Deaths have also reached the zero figure, he added. Read more at:
