Sri Lanka tops South East Asia in Malaria control

Nadira GUNATILLEKE

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka has won kudos as being the first among all South East Asian countries which had successfully controlled the Malaria epidemic. Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry sources said.

The sources said that in 2007 Sri Lanka recorded only 196 Malaria patients down from 591 in 2006. The number of Malaria patients recorded in Sri Lanka in 2005 was 1640.

No patient has died from Malaria in Sri Lanka after the year 2000. This is a record in South East Asia. In 2007 one patient died and he was suffering from a combination of Dengue and Malaria.

According to the sources, at present, 4000 persons die from Malaria annually in South East Asian countries. The highest number of cases are reported from India while Myanmar tops the number in Malaria contracted deaths.

Sri Lanka’s health sector successfully controlled the Malaria epidemic due to the large funds received from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Global Fund for Anti Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM).

Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva expressed his gratitude to all workers in the Sri Lankan health sector who worked with dedication to control Malaria in Sri Lanka, the sources added.