Director of communicable disease at the ministry Ina Agustina Isturini told a press conference here on Thursday that 93 percent or 508,120 of the total malaria cases in Indonesia have been reported from Papuan provinces.
The ministry is taking several efforts to eliminate malaria in Papua, including incorporating malaria screening into the Free Health Screening (CKG) program.
“This (CKG) is one of the entry gates. We are providing more screenings,” she said.
The Ministry of Health has also increased the number of cadres tasked with conducting malaria tests and providing medicines to patients directly.
In addition, the ministry is working on environmental improvements and vector control in collaboration with the private sector.
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The environmental improvement efforts are aimed at changing or improving environmental conditions so that they do not support the breeding of malaria vectors, namely female Anopheles mosquitoes, and reducing contact between humans and mosquitoes.
The ministry will also collaborate with Papua New Guinea on eliminating malaria, considering that the country borders Papuan provinces.
The cooperation will be strengthened ahead of the Asia Pacific Leaders’ Summit on Malaria Elimination 2025 in Bali on June 16–17, which will be attended by the Health Minister of Papua New Guinea, Elias Kapavore.
During the meeting, the Ministry of Health will also strengthen the commitment of the governors of Papuan provinces and other regional heads to malaria elimination.
The summit is a regional platform aimed at accelerating the eradication of malaria in the Asia-Pacific.
Related news: Ministry targets 8 million malaria tests amid rising cases
Translator: Tri Meilani, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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