Health Ministry confident of eliminating malaria in 2024

BANGKOK, April 25 (TNA) -- The Ministry of Public Health is confident of eliminating malaria in Thailand within 2024 as the disease control has been highly effective. Launching campaigns against malaria at the IMPACT convention complex in Nonthaburi province to mark the World Malaria Day today, Dr Thawat Suntrajarn, vice minister for public health, said that Thailand was likely to accomplish the elimination in 2024 as the World Health Organization set as it successfully reduced the incidence of malaria to only 0.21 per 1,000 population. The country thus changed its malaria-related policy from disease control to disease elimination, he said. Health authorities in provinces were looking for patients, controlling mosquitoes that were the carriers, promoting self-protection and taking action to prevent resistance, Dr Thawat said in the campaign-launching event attended by about 400 representatives of concerned organizations in the government and the private sectors. Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, deputy permanent secretary for public health, said the number of malaria patients in Thailand dropped from 150,000 in 2000 by 90% to 14,667 in 2017. The figure last year fell 15% from the previous year. Areas of malaria transmission declined to only 183 districts in 42 provinces and most of them were near the border. This year 35 provinces were declared malaria-free provinces, he said. (TNA)