The ministry's Director of Infectious Diseases, Prima Yosephine, on Thursday informed that 95 percent of malaria cases in Indonesia are found in Papua.
Therefore, her office is expanding coordination efforts to accelerate the elimination of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and leprosy in Papua.
"The next strategy is increasing the case detection target. Last year, we were able to detect 700,000 new cases. This year we must detect 800,000 by intensifying PCD (passive case detection) at community health centers," she conveyed.
The next strategy is to strengthen community involvement, as local communities are best positioned to support screening efforts and the distribution of medication.
The ministry has also issued a policy for areas with difficult access, where malaria screening and treatment are delegated to trained cadres.
The strategy also includes the formation of village malaria teams and village regulations, as well as malaria management training for key figures, Yosephine noted.
"Lastly, we adapt a forest intervention package, as 20 percent of malaria cases are among migrant groups," she said.
She explained that migrant populations require special attention, as their movement to areas with low malaria transmission could introduce the disease and potentially trigger an extraordinary outbreak (KLB).
"For the intervention package, we are implementing mass treatment, providing malaria prevention packages, and also conducting routine screening for people who still enter forests or remote areas," she informed.
She then addressed several challenges to malaria elimination in Indonesia, including program commitment and funding, low malaria detection and testing, and geographical challenges.
Yosephine stated that there are approximately 282 million malaria cases globally, with the Western Pacific region contributing approximately 2.4 million cases.
Indonesia has the second-highest number of malaria cases in the region, after Papua New Guinea.
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Translator: Mecca Yumna, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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