Indonesia: West Java aims to be malaria-free by 2022

Arya Dipa The Jakarta Post 14 May 19;

The West Java administration is aiming to be malaria-free by 2022, as at least four regencies in the province are still being declared malaria-endemic areas.

Data issued by the West Java health agency show 23 of the 27 regencies and cities across the province have obtained malaria-free certification. On the other hand, malaria cases still occur in the Pangandaran, Garut, Sukabumi and Tasikmalaya regencies.

“What occurred in Sukabumi, Garut and Tasikmalaya were imported malaria cases. Meanwhile, an indigenous case occurred in Pangandaran,” West Java governor Ridwan Kamil reported in a statement on Monday.

According to the World Health Organization, imported malaria cases occur when the infection was acquired from outside the area in which it is diagnosed. Indigenous cases are contracted locally with no evidence of importation and no direct link to transmission from an imported case.

Despite being malaria-endemic areas, the four regions' annual parasite incident rate -- the number of malaria cases per 1,000 residents in a year -- was less than one.

The governor said he had instructed the administration to work with researchers from Padjadjaran University in Bandung to study the malaria-endemic areas.

“As the four regencies are generally coastal areas, we provide certain species of fish to solve the mosquito larvae problem ecologically.”

Attempts to eliminate malaria had also involved thousands of people in family welfare movements, family planning programs and other village members.

Other data from the West Java Health Agency shows the number of malaria cases in Indonesia’s densest province has been declining every year since 2013. There were only 18 malaria cases found so far this year by May.

In 2008, Indonesia launched a national campaign against malaria, aiming for the country to become malaria-free by 2030. (kuk)