THAILAND: MALARIA

ProMED-mail to promed-edr
show details 17:49 (15 hours ago)

MALARIA - THAILAND: (YALA PROVINCE)
***********************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org/>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org/>
Date: Fri 22 Apr 2011
Source: The Nation (Bangkok) [edited]
<http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2011/04/22/national/Malaria-remains-threat-in-border-areas-30153662.html>

Malaria increase in Yala Province, southern Thailand
----------------------------------------------------
More than 2000 people in Thailand were infected with malaria in the
past 3 months, the Public Health Ministry said yesterday [21 Apr
2011].
Malaria remains a threat in the deep south, especially Yala Province,
where the number of malaria cases has increased from 30 a year to 3000
annually over the past several years because of the unrest in the
area, Vector-Borne Disease Bureau director Dr Wichai Satimai said.
"Medical personnel could not enter villages to provide medicine and
equipment to prevent infection, because of the unrest during the past
few years," he said. He was speaking at a workshop on malaria
prevention and control for high-risk groups living along Thailand's
borders.
He said the number of Thais diagnosed with malaria from January to
March was 2320. But when compared with the same period last year, the
figure had decreased 44 per cent.
Meanwhile, the number of foreigners infected with malaria in Thailand
this year was 3220, a 19 per cent decrease from the same period last
year. Last year, about 24 816 people were infected with malaria. Of
this number, about 15 181 cases were people living along the
Thailand-Burma border.
Dr Charles Delacollette, manager of the World Health Organization's
Mekong Malaria Programme, said he was worried about the spread of
infection along the Thai-Burmese border, as the number of malaria
cases in Burma had increased to more than 400 000 in 2009.
"If there is no collaboration between Thailand and Burma, they are
going to fail in disease prevention," he said. However, there is a
declining interest among government and donors in malaria control and
prevention.
Wichai said reductions to public health staff nationwide due to
reorganisation of the health system and poor community participation
and involvement had led to inadequate public awareness of the malaria
problem. Inflexibility in the malaria surveillance system, which is
unable to respond to changing situations, is another obstacle to
controlling the disease, he said.