Bhutan is intensifying efforts to achieve malaria-free status by next year. Bhutan had aimed to eliminate malaria by 2018, but indigenous cases delayed the goal. An investigation is underway to determine if a recent case at Phibsoo in Sarpang is indigenous. If it is not an indigenous case and no such cases are reported this year, it would mark the country’s three consecutive years of zero indigenous cases which is vital for WHO recognition.
Having reported zero indigenous malaria cases for the past two years, Bhutan is well on track to achieve the malaria-free status. However, the recent case at Phibsoo will be crucial in determining if the country is awarded the malaria-free certification. As the area has been malaria-free for nine years, officials expect the case to be imported.
“We have to send a request letter to WHO regional office in November this year certifying that there have been no cases of malaria in our country for three years. The WHO will send representatives to check our locations and examine if our data is kept up to date. Even if they observe that our hospital has no malaria cases, they will assess our preparedness in the event of a future malaria breakout,” said Rinzin Namgay, chief entomologist, Vector-Borne Disease Control Program, Gelephu, Sarpang.
To attain malaria-free status, a country must demonstrate that the transmission of all human malaria parasites has been halted nationwide for at least three consecutive years, and that it has a fully operational surveillance and response system capable of preventing the re-establishment of indigenous transmission.
To heighten the transmission and prevention efforts, the health ministry’s Vector-Borne Disease Control Program based in Sarpang conducted a two-day training for over 600 Community Action Group members from 10 gewogs of Sarpang.
The groups will have to draw their action plan for the prevention and control of the malaria in their respective villages. They will also have to initiate monthly cleaning campaigns, offer guidance to residents and make door-to-door visits at night to inspect if residents are using mosquito nets. They will have to submit their report online through a social media group.
“The group members must work to stop malaria spread. In our neighborhood, mosquitoes thrive during summer due to poor hygiene and stagnant water. They need to inspect the surroundings and advise people to clean up and encourage the use of mosquito nets while keeping their surroundings tidy,” said Ugyen Dorji, public health officer, Sarpang.
“Our group of five used to inspect households at night to ensure mosquito nets were in use. We organised monthly community clean-up on the second day of every month but now we decided to increase it to twice a month,” said Ngawang Choden, a member, Community Action Group, Taraythang Gewog, Sarpang.
From close to 39,000 cases in 1994, Bhutan made significant progress in bringing down the number of malaria cases to less than 5 cases in 2022. However, sporadic rise in the number of cases are reported due to various factors. The malaria elimination target was affected after the country recorded 22 indigenous cases in 2020.
To accelerate progress in reducing the burden of malaria, the World Health Assembly adopted the Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016-2030 in 2015. The strategy aims to reduce global malaria incidence and mortality rates by at least 90 per cent by 2030.
Karma Wangdi, Sarpang
Edited by Kipchu
