Launching ceremony on propagating "World Malaria Day 25 April 2017" in Kon Tum province, Vietnam
On 25 April 2017, the Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology Quy Nhon (IMPE-QN) in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the District Health Department (DHD) and the District People's Committee of Ngoc Hoi (DPC-NH) held the launching ceremony to respond the World Malaria Day in Ngoc Hoi district, Kon Tum province.
Participants to the launching ceremony included Mrs. Tran Thi Nga, Vice-Chairwoman of the Provincial People?s Committee of Kon Tum (PPC-KT); Assoc.Prof. Tran Thanh Duong, Director of the National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology (NIMPE); Assoc.Prof. Nguyen Van Chuong, Director of IMPE-QN; representatives of the General Department of Preventive Medicine and the Management Board of Medical Cooperation Programme with WHO; Mr. Dao Duy Khanh, Director of Provincial Health Department of Kon Tum (PHD-KT) and Mrs. Mai Thoan, Vice-Chairwoman of DPC-NH; the representatives of leaders of the provincial malaria control centers/ provincial centres for preventive medicine of 15 provinces of Central region and West Highlands; Mr. Mau Van Phi, Vice-Chairman of the People's Committee of Khanh Vinh district; Khanh Hoa Newspaper, Provincial Center of Health Education and Communication of Khanh Hoa, Khanh Vinh television broadcast station. Especially, nearly 800 people who are the representatives of the sections, branches, unions, people, mass media, national and local press, armed forces, public security, and students of Ngoc Hoi junior high school also attended the ceremony. The purpose of the launching ceremony is to propagandize the content and importance of the World Malaria Day, 25th April to improve the knowledge, attitude and practice of the community in controlling malaria and antimalarial drugs resistance; to launch the campaign to implement the malaria control measures in the first six months of 2017 effectively, contributing in achieving the goals of reducing the malaria morbility and mortality, and preventing malaria outbreaks from occurring towards malaria elimination by 2030. Participants to the launching ceremony. |
After the fascinating performance of the cadres and employees of Ngoc Hoi Information and Culture Department, Assoc.Prof. Nguyen Van Chuong, Director of IMPE-QN made the opening speech and launched the campaign to implement the malaria control measures in 2017; some other delegates also stated at the ceremony such as Assoc.Prof. Tran Thanh Duong - director of NIMPE with speech on celebrating the malaria control achievements over the world in general and in Vietnam in particular, at the same time pointing out the challenges confronting each country and directing localities to implement focal antimalaria measures in the coming time; and Mrs. Tran Thi Nga, Vice-Chairwoman of PPC-KT with speech on responding the World Malaria Day, 25th April. | Assoc.Prof. Tran Thanh Duong - director of NIMPE in his speech on celebrating the malaria control achievements over the world in general and in Vietnam in particular. |
In his speech, Assoc.Prof. Nguyen Van Chuong, Director of IMPE Quy Nhon pointed out that this was the tenth year IMPE-QN launched the World Malaria Day with the theme "Let's close the gap" and with a strong commitment to malaria control and elimination. The World Malaria Day was first launched by the members of the World Health Organization in the meeting of Global Health Council in 2007. In the past few years, the IMPE Quy Nhon and the health sectors of the Central Vietnam provinces and army medical forces, border guard have devoted a great deal of efforts in the malaria control activities. In 2016, the malaria indicators in Central Vietnam have all reduced compared to previous years, namely malaria patients by 61.33%; malaria parasites by 71.43%; two deaths from malaria were recorded in Central Vietnam, reduced by 23 cases compared to 2008. However, Central Vietnam in general and Kon Tum province in particular have complicated malaria characteristics and high risk of malaria resurgence, especially in remote, mountainous and border areas. The people in some areas do not have awareness of self-protection against malaria infection, not actively go to medical facilities for examination and treatment as having fever, leading to severe complications and death. Almost malaria infected cases and malaria deaths in the whole country have mainly concentrated in the mobilized population groups such as free migrants, forest goers, border crossers, etc. P.falciparum has already developed resistance to the highly-effective antimalarial drug Artemisinine in Binh Phuoc, Dak Nong, Gia Lai, Quang Nam and Khanh Hoa; more dangerously, there is high risk of widespread resistance due to medically uncontrollable movements. Beside that, we are still facing many challenges in malaria control, for examples malaria mosquitos change the ecological acitivities and resist insecticides, along with the impact of global climate changes that create reasonable conditions for malaria developing and increasing dramatically. In Kon Tum province, thanks to the participation of all levels and sectors, the malaria situation has achieved remarkable results for many years, particularly no deaths due to malaria have occurred in the last 5 years, the malaria endemic area has narrowed. In 2016, the number of malaria cases decreased to 47.3% and malaria parasites by 61.4% compared to 2015. | Assoc.Prof. Nguyen Van Chuong, Director of IMPE-QN made the opening speech and launched the campaign to implement the malaria control measures in 2016 |
Assoc.Prof. Nguyen Van Chuong also stressed that in order to effectively implement the National Strategy for Malaria Prevention and Elimination, it is necessary to focus on the following specific measures: 1. All levels of government direct the work of malaria control and strengthen multi-sectoral collaboration in the implementation of measures to combat malaria; timely informing about all malaria cases to better management of patients. 2. The Departments of Health and the Centers for Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology of all provinces continue to direct provincial health centers, communal medical stations to implement the disease monitoring procedures; strictly complying the Guidelines for Malaria Diagnosis and Treatment of the Ministry of Health. 3. Improving the quality of vectors control measures and treatment of malaria patients in severely-hit areas and antimalarial drug-resistant areas; timely preventing risk of outbreaks and spread of drugs resistant malaria parasites. 4. Strengthening the control of malaria patients through grassroots medical network; bringing into play the tradition of army-civil medical combination in management of malaria patients, as well as carrying out the health communication and education to raise the community's awareness of self-protection while living in or going into malaria-endemic areas, thence creating sustainable factors in malaria control and step by step eliminating malaria. 5. Strengthening the malaria epidemiological surveillance and the quality monitoring of malaria diagnosis and treatment at all levels; monitoring and directing the malaria control measures in time when malaria cases increase. Directing the communal health stations to monitor and support health services for those going into the forest and sleeping in the field-huts. Mobilizing the people to go to health facilities for medical diagnosis and treatment when having the symptoms of malaria. 6. The malaria control centers/ centres for preventive medicine of the regional provinces should take the initiative in organizing the supervision of hot spots, checking the quality of malaria diagnosis and treatment at grassroots level, steering the sending of blood-slides for technical inspection in accordance with the provisions of the National Malaria Control Programme in order to monitor the quality of examination laboratories and microscopic points. | Mrs. Tran Thi Nga, Vice-Chairwoman of PPC-KT in her speech at the ceremony. |
In her speech at the ceremony, Mrs. Tran Thi Nga suggested that the health sector should closely cooperate with relevant departments/sectors and the provincial localities have to thoroughly implement malaria control measures identified by IMPE-QN; to concentrate on effectively propagandizing and raising knowledge and awareness of all levels, sectors and people of malaria and the impact of malaria; to organize the effective implementation of anti-malaria measures, especially in remote and deep-lying communes as well as border and key areas; to strengthen the surveillance of malaria epidemiology in communes stopping the interventions for many years and sites at high-risk of malaria outbreaks; to strengthen the socialization of malaria control, good management and treatment of cases; to focus on localization and thorough treatment of malaria foci when the outbreaks occur, preventing the large-scale spread of the disease, etc. The Launching Ceremony continued with the march along the main streets in Plei-kan town, Ngoc Hoi district, Kon Tum province. Hoping that the Launching Ceremony will positively influence the people's awareness, attitude and behaviour pertaining to malaria control.
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