Newspress

Hiao Khanh, 29, is a member of the Community Malaria Action Team in Chu Rcam commune, Krong pa district, Gia Lai province, which is known for having the highest number of malaria cases in the country. In 2020, more than 200 cases were detected across the district.

As part of his responsibilities, Hiao Khanh is in charge of overseeing 2 villages in the area. He has been working in malaria prevention and control in his community since 2019, after he recovered from malaria.

"It was a near-death experience," said Hiao Khanh. "I had high fever before getting access to health care support. After that, I was motivated to help reduce sickness and deaths from malaria in my commune."

People in this community 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. Hiao Khanh and his team need to use motorbikes to reach different parts of the community to help protect people from malaria.

The team's main activities are to 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.

The good news is that, with the right treatment, patients can now be cured in a shorter period of time. Previously, WHO recommended a 14-day course of antimalarial medicines to prevent a relapse of P. vivax malaria. Based on the latest evidence, WHO is now recommending a shorter (7-day) treatment option.

However, ensuring individuals stay on track with their treatment remains a challenge. Forest workers, for example, often prefer to return to work as soon as their fever subsides.

Part of Hiao Khanh's work is to find and persuade patients to come back for treatment. Communication is a crucial aspect of his team's work. They actively listen to people's concerns, respond to their queries, and emphasize the importance of completing the full treatment course. By doing so, individuals can make a full recovery, allowing them to return to work without any further complications or malaria-related interruptions.

"I hope to make people aware of malaria so that they are able to access health care services when they have symptoms," said Hiao Khanh. "Just a "thank you" from my people is enough to give me strength to continue this job to eliminate malaria from my homeland."

Viet Nam is highly motivated to reach the goal of eliminating malaria for a healthy future, an aim shared by many countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion.