Problem Overview:
The second-highest worldwide cases of Malaria are reported in Southeast Asia. Although cases have been declining in Vietnam from 2006 to 2016, a marked rebound in malaria cases in several provinces of the Central Highlands of Vietnam has been observed from 2017 to 2019, especially in Dak Lak, Phu Yen, and Gia Lai provinces.
Program Activity:
Vysnova works with its partner IMPE QN to study and monitor the therapeutic efficacy of first-line treatment drugs for the treatment of people with symptomatic malaria living or working in Ea Kar and Krong Nang districts. Gathering both symptomatic and asymptomatic malaria data provides the opportunity to investigate the relationship and population dynamics of Plasmodium species of the Malaria infections in the study populations and the incidence of people who are asymptomatic at the time of molecular analysis but later become symptomatic for malaria infections.
Program Outcomes:
In partnership with IMPE QN, Vysnova collected 1,475 asymptomatic samples in high endemic communes of Dak Lak and Gia Lai provinces. This study’s findings will have far-reaching implications on changing the drug resistance in Central Highlands; and will assist in selecting the best drugs to eliminate malaria infections in both symptomatic and asymptomatic people.
These studies will also provide the opportunity to select the best district and province to evaluate the implementation of a treatment strategy to eliminate Malaria in 2022-2023.