Yesterday, the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC) said that currently, Ho Chi Minh City still maintains its achievements in eliminating malaria. In 2023, Ho Chi Minh City recorded 21 cases of malaria, mainly foreign patients or travelers to malaria-endemic areas. The city didn’t record any deaths due to malaria and no malaria epidemics.
Malaria is a life-threatening disease spread to humans by some types of mosquitoes. It is mostly found in tropical countries. It is preventable and curable. The infection is caused by a parasite and does not spread from person to person. There is currently no preventive vaccine for malaria, preventing mosquitoes from transmitting the disease is the most effective measure to prevent the spread of the disease. If malaria is not diagnosed and treated promptly, severe complications will appear - malignant malaria and then the risk of death is very high.
Currently, HCDC still maintains regular monitoring of disease cases and disease-carrying insects along with professional activities according to the Ministry of Health’s guidance. However, the coordination of departments and communities is needed to achieve successful results in preventing malaria. The health sector recommends that people proactively take measures to prevent mosquito bites, malaria in particular and other mosquito-borne diseases in general.
In particular, those who go to work or study in African countries or countries and areas where malaria is endemic, in mountainous areas need to bring mosquito nets to sleep. Before going, they should go to medical facilities to receive preventive medicine and when they return, they need to go to a medical facility to be examined and tested for fever to detect and treat promptly when sick.
Currently, malaria is still complicated in Vietnam, the disease is concentrated mainly in malaria-endemic areas, especially in the provinces of Lai Chau, Binh Phuoc, and some provinces in the Central and the Central Highlands regions and recently appeared in Khanh Hoa with a high number of cases in the last three years.
With more than 40 provinces now malaria-free, Vietnam has achieved all of the targets set out in the 2011-2020 National Strategy for Malaria Control and Elimination and is among 44 countries with less than 10,000 cases of malaria per year in 2016. Eliminating malaria by 2030 is an achievable goal for the country, as long as there is a strong commitment by the Government and partners to mobilize resources and identify new tools for elimination.
