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Indonesia vows to erase malaria

Indonesia’s Health Ministry has vowed to intensify efforts to erase malaria on the occasion of the World Malaria Day (April 25).
Indonesia’s Health Ministry has vowed to intensify efforts to erasemalaria on the occasion of the World Malaria Day (April 25).

The country still has five provinces with high cases of this deadlydisease, which is a major public health problem in many tropicalcountries.

The high risk provinces are Papua, West Papua, East Nusa Tenggara, Maluku and North Maluku.

As part of the National Malaria Eradication Programme, the HealthMinistry plans to distribute 6.3 million mosquito nets in 2014 toprevent the spread of malaria by anopheles mosquitoes.

According to Director General of the ministry’s Disease Control andEnvironmental Health Tjandra Yoga Aditama, a total of 3.6 millionmosquito nets have been distributed so far.

He added thatbesides mosquito nets, preventive measures had been taken by sprayingmosquito repellant in 49,260 houses in 2013 and 47,966 houses in theprevious year.

Health Minister Dr Nafsiah Mboi said currently200 districts in Indonesia have already been free of malaria and 117others are expected to be declared free of the disease in the timeahead. She expressed hope that the disease will be eliminated in thecountry by 2020.

According to the World Health Organization,malaria remains one of the world’s biggest health challenges. It killedmore than 600,000 people in 2012.

Therefore, April 25 has beennamed as World Malaria Day, to remind the public and the world thatmalaria is both preventable and curable.-VNA
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