Initial effectiveness in malaria prevention and control.

(Baonghean)Thanks to the efforts of all levels, sectors, and localities, the malaria situation in the province has now been brought under control, making a positive contribution to protecting and improving people's health. Nghe An has been assessed by the Ministry of Health as a locality that has effectively implemented malaria prevention and control measures nationwide.

According to data from the Provincial Center for Malaria, Insect, and Parasite Control, the malaria situation in the province remained relatively stable in 2011 and the first months of 2012. The number of malaria patients decreased by 21.84% compared to the usual period; the number of people participating in disease prevention and control using chemicals increased by 2.66%; there were no outbreaks in the area, and only one death due to imported malaria occurred in Hanh Tien village, Chau Hanh commune, Quy Chau district. The risk of a malaria outbreak in Huoi Tho village, Huu Kiem commune, Ky Son district was promptly controlled. In key malaria-prone districts such as Ky Son, Tuong Duong, and Que Phong, staff from the Provincial Center for Malaria Control went directly to the grassroots level to supervise the implementation of vector control spraying using proper techniques and with high quality. To date, the percentage of households in these districts that have been sprayed has reached 96%, ensuring high coverage. Malaria prevention and control efforts in all 10 mountainous districts of the province (comprising 167 communes, 1,452 villages, 134,839 households, and 629,866 people) have been carried out effectively, protecting the health of the people.

Over the past period, the health sector and districts, towns, and cities in the province have strengthened epidemiological surveillance activities. Through surveillance campaigns, health officials have combined propaganda and mobilization efforts to encourage people to use insecticide-treated mosquito nets, and to bring nets and medicine when going into the forest to proactively prevent malaria. At the same time, the center regularly organizes vector surveillance surveys and chemical residue testing to improve the quality of mosquito spraying and insecticide-treated nets for the people. In 2011, the Center for Malaria, Insect, and Parasite Control organized 7 surveillance campaigns for epidemiological officials at the district level with 45 visits; 93 visits at the commune level and 184 visits at the village level. Through the examination of more than 188,000 people, 62 malaria patients and 12 malaria parasites were detected; and 413 people received treatment. The effectiveness of enhanced close coordination between the military, civilians, and medical personnel in malaria prevention and control in the area is increasingly evident.

However, the risk of malaria in Nghe An remains high because more than half of the area is located in malaria-endemic zones, meaning the pathogen is still present. Furthermore, significant population mobility (4 per thousand) and cross-border movement, forest travel, and sleeping in fields by the local population are not fully controlled; therefore, outbreaks can occur at any time. Dr. Hoang Dinh Ngoc, Director of the Provincial Center for Malaria, Insect, and Parasite Control, stated that to maintain stability in malaria control, the health sector requires high levels of effort and active community involvement in strengthening the malaria control network from the provincial to the village level. This ensures monitoring and treatment at the grassroots level to prevent and reduce malaria-related deaths. Epidemiological surveillance activities must be regular, continuous, and adequately invested in terms of human resources, materials, and time. Furthermore, it is necessary to socialize malaria prevention and control efforts and mobilize forces to participate in malaria prevention and control within the overall activities of the health sector, strengthen health education and communication; and continue to promote the control of imported malaria, preventing the disease from entering the province.

Xuan Tien