PHNOM PEHN: While Cambodia and the world continue to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic, this week also marked another deadly disease with World Malaria Day, raising awareness of the deadly mosquito-borne disease that continues to remain a major concern for public health and a serious economic burden in Cambodia and the region, according to health and policy experts. While deaths in Cambodia have fallen dramatically over the last decade from 219 deaths in 2009 to virtually zero known deaths today, confirmed cases still number nearly 50,000 annually, incurring great costs to health agencies and also causing serious economic hardship for those infected and their families. Individuals who are infected with the disease do have access to free malaria treatment, as implemented in Cambodia’s National Strategy and Policy for Malaria Elimination 2011 to 2025. The first grant of $115 million was awarded in 2013. KHMER TIMES

Source: Manila Times April 28, 2020 16:41 UTC