Prime Minister Hun Sen announced that despite the difficulties caused by the spread of Covid-19, the fight against malaria had continued efficiently and made a significant contribution to the achievement of Cambodia’s sustainable development goals 2016-2030.

Hun Sen made the announcement in a message marking National Malaria Day, which falls on April 25.

According to the National Malaria Control Programme, in 2021 the total number of malaria cases was 4,279, a decrease of 54 per cent compared to the 9,234 cases recorded in 2020.

The programme said Cambodia had more than 170,000 malaria cases in the 1980s and nearly 1,000 deaths. There have been no malaria deaths since 2018, meaning the Kingdom has achieved its 2020 target of zero deaths two years ahead of schedule.

Viral malaria cases also decreased by 52 per cent.

In the report, Hun Sen said: “In this sense, we can say that even in the difficult working environment caused by Covid-19, malaria control work was still carried out, protecting the health of the public and improving the wellbeing of people of all ages.”

World Malaria Day 2022 will be marked under the theme “Harness innovation to reduce the malaria disease burden and save lives.”

National Malaria Day will be held under the theme “Together, implement new activities to reduce the global malaria burden and improve wellbeing”, which aims to raise awareness and the expectations of the government and the public who are working together to achieve the goal of eliminating malaria in the country as well as the Greater Mekong Sub-region and the entire world.

Hun Sen expressed his support for all the activities that have been carried out to promote and inspire awareness – and change the public’s mindset and habits – more widely throughout the country, especially in the mountain regions where there is a high risk of malaria transmission.

“Although the fight against malaria is achieving great results, we must work to accelerate the eradication of malaria in accordance with the second phase of the Malaria Eradication Action Plan 2021-2025, which is part of the National Strategic Plan for the Eradication of Malaria in the Kingdom of Cambodia 2011-2025,” he added.

Ministry of Health secretary of state Or Vandine said the malaria situation throughout Cambodia is very good and the Kingdom’s goals will undoubtedly be reached.

“Thanks to the implementation of the malaria eradication strategy, we achieved our goal of zero malaria deaths ahead of time. In particular, there were no fatal fluoride falciparum mutations,” she said.

Vandine expressed her hope that thanks to the government’s efforts, the municipal-provincial health departments will be able to achieve the goal of eliminating malaria by 2025.