Malaria situation in Central Vietnam in general and Binh Dinh province in particular tends to increase in the last months of 2009, so the Provincial Centre of Malaria Control and endocrinology of Binh Dinh actively directed its affiliated units to strengthen surveillance and treatment for malaria in the high-peak season.
In July, 2009, malaria situation tended to increase in the whole country, especially in Central Vietnam with reported deaths from the disease because of late detection. In Binh Dinh province, malaria patients compared with the same period of last year increased by 47.62%, malaria parasites increased by 116.67%, mainly in adults and mobilised people. This could impose higher risk of increasing malaria cases by the end of the year; and if no appropriate measures are applied, the possible deaths from the disease will be at high.
Executing the Document 1473/DP-MT, dated August 11, 2009 signed by the Preventive Medicine and Environment Department on "Strengthening malaria control activities" and the direction of the Binh Dinh Provincial Health Service, the Provincial Centre of Malaria Control and endocrinology of Binh Dinh asked the leaderships of hospitals, district health centres and health offices direct to carry out the following activities at the earnest:
General hospitals, departments in hospitals, communal health stations, mobile health teams should strengthen early detection, diagnosis and prompt treatment of malaria
- To provide sufficient amounts of anti-malaria drugs for grass-root levels, and to prevent the use of out of date drugs or drugs with unknown origins.
- To take and examine blood slides for malaria parasites for febrile cases coming from malaria-endemic areas.
- To treat malaria cases with highly effective anti-malaria drugs such as Artecan, Arterakin. Severe and complicated cases should be treated with injectable artesunate and referred to higher levels without any delay.
District health centres, communal and village health stations should strengthen epidemiological surveillance in severely-hit areas.
- To strengthen epidemiological surveillance in severely-hit areas, previous niduses, areas with incoming population from malaria-endemic areas; and to report immediately to upper level in case unexpected high malaria patients are detected.
- To manage the people returning from malaria-endemic areas, and to take and examine blood slides for early detection and prompt treatment.
- To consolidate the information network and malaria control activities at the grass-root levels to ensure the reports of fast, timely and accurate epidemic information.
The Public health should actively act as the advisor to Party committee levels and local authorities in strengthening health education and communication for malaria control
- To give guidelines for the mass organisations and bodies to coodinately propagate and campaign people in malaria control activities such as carrying out bednet impregnation and sleeping in the bednets, bringing the bednets and antimalarials upon going to the forests and working at the field huts for a long time.
- To diversify the methods of health education in order to achieve more interest from local people; moreover, to give information on locations of consultancy on malaria, diagnosis and treatment and management of the disease. The messages should be brief and easy to understand and suitable to their awareness.