"In Papua, malaria is among the five most prevalent diseases constituting an additional burden on local governments which are also still struggling to deal with other contagious and non-contagious diseases that keep increasing in incidence," Yosep said.
He said based on age groups, 47 percent of babies in Papua was suffering from malaria meaning the source of contagion was in Papua.
According to latest data, more than 50 percent of the malaria cases involved people in the productive age group, he said.
"Malaria causes anemia and in school-age children it could affect their capability to follow school lessons and smartness while in productive-age people it could reduce their productivity and quality," he said.
He said several factors were playing a role in the spreading of of the disease, namely plasmodium vivax as the cause of the disease, anopheles mosquito as carrier, human beings as recipients and the environment.
"There are almost 400 species of anopheles in the world and around 60 of them are carriers," he said.
Yosep said Papua also had several anopheles species which were different from those found in the western parts of Indonesia.
Twin species were also to be found among the anopheles species that morphologically looked the same but were genetically different meaning they had different capabilities in transmitting the disease.
"Considering these conditions, more specific ways of controlling the disease in Papua are needed," he said.
He said malaria had become a social problem with wide repercussions in the Papuan people`s social and economic life.
He said the challenge could not be borne by the health sector alone but also needed the attention of the regional governments` working units as well as the people and private sectors.
"So, an organization is needed to gather, mobilize, coordinate and synergize all the potentials and resources needed to overcome the disease and accelerate the elimination of malaria in Papua," he said.
(H-YH/O001)
Editor: Ella Syafputri
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
