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WHO is very proud to join hands with the National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology (NIMPE) to host this important event to mark World Malaria Day.
We are proud because Viet Nam has a lot to celebrate. Great progress has been made in malaria elimination and control over the past few years and – by maintaining and accelerating this momentum –– elimination is possible by 2030, if not before.
To illustrate this, I would like to begin my remarks today by telling you the story of Mr Hiao Khanh, a member of the Community Malaria Action Team in Gia Lai province. He himself became very sick with severe malaria, but fortunately, was able to recover – and since 2019 has worked to raise awareness among community members about how to protect themselves.
For the past five years, Hiao Khanh has been working in two villages where people rely heavily on the forest to earn a living. They go into the forest to work, and sleep there, putting them at high risk of contracting malaria.
When it rains, the community’s scattered forest settlements are nearly cut off, as dirt access tracks are flooded, and hairpin bends on steep terrain become slippery.
But even these conditions cannot stop Khanh and his team from using motorbikes to reach people. Week in week out, they raise awareness about malaria prevention, provide protective items such as mosquito nets, identify people who might have malaria and then transport them to health care facilities for testing, and support adherence to treatment for forest goers.
It is because of the dedication and commitment of health care workers like Mr Hiao Khanh and all of you in this meeting – national and regional institutes, and provincial, district and commune health facilities – that malaria elimination is within reach.
The malaria burden has significantly declined over the years in Viet Nam. Malaria prevalence continues to fall. The number of cases reported in 2023 was just 441.
Last year, 42 provinces were classified as malaria elimination provinces.
Malaria is now concentrated in remote, forested and mountainous ethnic minority communities in the northern and central regions, where people do not have easy access to health care – or to the information and resources they need to protect themselves.
Ensuring equitable access to these services and resources is how we will rid Viet Nam of this disease. We need to stay focused on reaching the hardest to reach, like the remote communities where Mr Hiao Khanh works.
The importance of reaching the unreached is recognized in the global theme of World Malaria Day this year, which is: “Advancing health equity, gender equality and human rights in the fight against malaria”.
WHO is very proud to partner with all of you in this work. I would like to mention four particular elements of our ongoing support:
The first is supporting data analysis at village level – which we call malaria microstratification. Knowing exactly where people are being infected with malaria allows health workers to respond and deploy very targeted, tailored actions to control malaria. This will be key to eliminating malaria for good from every last pocket of the country.
The second element is WHO’s support for malaria diagnostics such as assessing and strengthening the technical competency of health workers to carry out malaria microscopy, and supporting the development of a malaria diagnostics guideline.
Thirdly, WHO is supporting work to monitor antimalarial drug resistance, and giving advice on effective case management.
And finally, WHO is very keen to support targeted or mass drug administration, or TDAs and MDAs, where necessary – including, for example, here in Khanh Hoa. This is the kind of targeted, focused action we need to take to stamp out any outbreaks or flare-ups in cases.
In all of these areas, Viet Nam can continue to count on WHO’s collaboration and strong support, including to coordinate with our valued partners and donors, including the Global Fund, the US President's Malaria Initiative, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Together, we need to sustain our commitment to accelerating malaria elimination and preventing its reestablishment – to help deliver equity for hard-to-reach communities, and contribute to a safer and healthier Viet Nam.
I also trust that, with the leadership and commitment of the People’s Committee of Khanh Hoa Province, Khanh Hoa Health Department and with the technical support of IMPE Quy Nhon and NIMPE, Khanh Hoa can be certified as a malaria-free province in the very near future.
I wish you all a happy and healthy World Malaria Day!
Xin cảm ơn!