Malaria Claims Seven Vietnamese Lives in Jan-Jun

Malaria affected 17,621 Vietnamese people in the first six months of this year, claiming seven lives, down 12.8% and up 16.7% on year, respectively, said Nguyen Manh Hung, head of the National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Tomology. The fatal cases are from the two central highlands provinces of Gia Lai and Kon Tum and four southern localities of Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Dong Thap and Vinh Long, and the central Danang City. The institute will take measures to raise awareness of local residents, especially those in remote and disadvantaged areas. It is also seeking the health ministry’s approval to boost preventive medicine training for health workers at grassroots levels. The number of malaria patients has decreased considerably thanks to Vietnam’s malaria prevention program in recent years which become part of the national target program on preventing social and serious diseases like HIV/AIDS. Vietnam targets to eliminate the disease in at least 40 localities by 2020 in a move to provide better healthcare services for local residents as well as contribute to socioeconomic development of the country. In 2010, the Southeast Asian country reported 20 deaths out of 53,876 people affected by malaria, the ministry’s statistics showed. (Nong Thon Ngay Nay – Countryside Today July 26, Lao Dong – Labor July 25)