Cambodia Accelerates Plan for Malaria Eradication
Photo: Ministry of Health
- By Chhum Chantha
- April 24, 2024 3:10 PM
PHNOM PENH – Cambodia is speeding up plans to achieve malaria-free status by 2025, focusing on diagnosis and treatment of cases in remote areas.
Prime Minister Hun Manet sent the message to all stakeholders and development partners for World Malaria Day and National Malaria Day on April 25.
They should jointly accelerate malaria eradication in line with the National Strategic Plan 2025, he said.
This year’s celebration has the theme “Promoting Health Equity, Gender Equality and Human Rights to Fight Malaria”.
The PM said malaria continues to affect life, cause serious loss of human productivity, affect public health and the socio-economic wellbeing of Cambodia and the world.
Cambodia was actively participating in supporting and launching action plans to eradicate malaria, he said. Cases had fallen steadily since 2016. In 2023, there were only 1,384 cases of mosquito-borne diseases and no deaths recorded since 2018.
As Cambodia moves closer to eliminating malaria, Hun Manet said that all stakeholders must speed up implementation of the Malaria Eradication Action Plan Phase 2 (2021-2025).
This focuses on providing diagnosis and treatment without discrimination for people living in remote areas, the poor, pregnant women, children and indigenous peoples considered at high risk.
He also called for more action to raise public awareness, change attitudes and habits by making the community hygienic, clean and to prevent mosquito bites. Such measures were not only effective against disease but also a right of every citizen.
