To eliminate malaria, it is best to use proper diagnosis and accurate medicineJakarta (ANTARA) - The integrated malaria control program must be prioritized in order to handle malaria cases in Indonesia, a researcher from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Dr. Rintis Noviyanti has stated.
"To eliminate malaria, it is best to use proper diagnosis and accurate medicine," she told ANTARA here on Thursday.
The integrated malaria control program comprises finding malaria cases through quick and accurate diagnosis, eliminating the malaria parasite using medication and vaccination, and undertaking vector control through the provision of mosquito nets and insecticides, she explained.
Adequate funding is also required for the implementation of the program, she noted.
In addition, a collective commitment from stakeholders and the people's support are also important factors for controlling malaria cases in Indonesia, Noviyanti said.
To this day, the Indonesian government has continued to make efforts to eliminate malaria across Indonesia, she noted.
The government is aiming to eliminate malaria or ride the nation of malaria by 2030, she added.
Earlier, Health Ministry official Dr. Didik Budijanto, had said that one of the challenges to eliminating malaria is reducing active or passive malaria cases.
He highlighted the efforts made to handle that problem: malaria examination through rapid diagnostic tests (RDT), mosquito net distribution, and improvement in the capacity of human resources in the health sector.
To eliminate malaria, the Indonesian government is also ensuring the availability of malaria diagnostic kits and medication devices, and controlling the breeding of mosquitos that transmit malaria with the help of the public through environmental cleanups, he said.
In related news, the RTS,S vaccine recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) has been found effective in preventing malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum parasite, a researcher from BRIN informed recently.
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Translator: Martha S, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Sri Haryati
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