Malaria Focus of Health Talks

Ministers of Health from Cam­bodia, Laos and Vietnam met in Vientiane last week to discuss ways to jointly combat malaria in their countries.

The meeting is the second in a four-year program sponsored by the European Union. The $32 million project aims to improve malaria control in each of the three countries and in the border regions.

Representatives of the three countries presented plans for how they would improve their malaria programs. Among Cam­bo­dia’s goals for the upcoming year are improving malaria training for staff at the provincial level, conducting studies of how mala­ria is transmitted along the borders with Vietnam and Laos, and improving management of pro­vincial malaria workers, said Dr Denis Mey Bouth, national co-dir­ector of the European Com­mis­sion’s malaria control program in Cambodia.

“The final objective is to reduce morbidity and mortality rates of malaria in Cambodia,” he said.

The EC program in Cambodia is being carried out in 10 prov­inces with about $4.9 million.

The three countries will meet again next year in Laos to discuss how well they ach­ieved their goals and how they can continue working together to attack mala­ria along their borders.

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