Malaria situation tended to increase highly on a large scale, even risk of malaria outbreaks. To respond the World Malaria Day 25 April with the target "Counting Malaria Out", the provinces of Central Vietnam carried out the malaria control campaign for 2010 to reduce rate of morbidity and death from malaria; especially to prevent the outbreaks from occuring.
According to the statistics of 2009, malaria situation tended to increase seriously in high-risk areas such as the West Highlands, the Central coastal area, the Southeast and some moutainous provinces ofthe North; especially in the Central coastal area. 13/15 provinces had higher malaria morbidity and 14/15 had higher malaria parasites, even some provinces had high rate of malaria morbidity and parasites. Therefore, IMPE-Quy Nhon directed provinces to strengthen control measures and hold the lauching ceremony on propagating "World Malaria Day 25 April" to enhance the effectivity of control measures.
To respond the World Malaria Day 25 April, IMPE-Quy Nhon and Thua Thien-Hue Health Service held the launching ceremony on propagating World Malaria Day 25 April 2010 in Phong My commune, Phong Dien district, Thua Thien-Hue province. Participated in the ceremony were representatives of the Thua Thien-Hue Provincial People’s Committee, Dr Nguyen Van Binh, vice-director of the Department of Preventive Medicine and Environment (Ministry of Health); Dr. Tran Cong Dai, the specialist of World Health Organization (WHO); Dr. Trieu Nguyen Trung, Director of IMPE-Quy Nhon; leaderships from Thua Thien-Hue Provincial Health Service; leaderships from the provincial malaria control centres/ provincial centres for preventive medicine of Quang Tri, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Thua Thien-Hue, etc.
The content of the ceremony was carried out briefly, but effectively by the directive speeches from the leader of the Department of Preventive Medicine and Environtment (MoH); from the representative of WHO on the meaning and purposes of the World Malaria Day; from the leader of IMPE-Quy Nhon on launching the propagating ceremony on the World Malaria Day 2010, from the leader of Thua Thien-Hue Provincial Health Service on launching the propagating ceremony on the World Malaria Day 2010 and from representatives of the provincial malaria control centres responding the World Malaria Day.
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Dr. Nguyễn Văn Bình-Deputy Director of the
Department of Preventive Medicine and Environtment
(MoH) in his directive speech on the World Malaria Day | Dr. Tran Cong Dai -expert of WHO in Vietnam
in the speech on the meaning and purposes of
the World Malaria Day |
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Dr. Trieu Nguyen Trung-Director of IMPE Quy Nhon
launching the propagating ceremony on
the World Malaria Day 2010 | Assoc.prof.Nguyen Dung-Director of Thua Thien-Hue
Provincial Health Service in his seech
at the propagating ceremony |
Next to the launching ceremony were the march along the main streets with flags, propagandizing banners on World Malaria Day 25 April. Although the weather was very severe, most people of Phong My commune attended enthusiastically. The propagating ceremony raised awareness and understanding of malaria and mobilising communities into malaria control activities in the malaria-endemic areas.
To respond the launching ceremony, the Provincial Malaria Control Centres/ Provincial Centres for Preventive Medicine combined with media organs (television stations, newspapers) to propagate on the meaning of World Malaria Day, causes of the disease and malaria control measures; chose a highly-endemic area to hold the launching ceremony on World Malaria Day, which provide an easy access for the people to approach the information and participate actively in malaria control activities. Besides, the provinces needed to strengthen epidemiological surveillance, concentrate on hot spots to reduce rate of morbidity and death.
Because malaria situation tended to increase dramatically, the launching ceremony on propagating "World Malaria Day 25 April" in Thua Thien-Hue province and the campaign for malaria control in severely-hit areas of the Central Vietnam need to be carried out effectively to roll back malaria and prevent the outbreaks from occuring.
Severa images from the launching ceremony on propagating "World Malaria Day 25 April" in Thua Thien-Hue province: