Malaria Rates Soar in Battambang - Fighting May Be Culprit
By Mhari Saito - 
the cambodia daily

	Malaria rates in Battambang province in northwestern 
Cambodia have more than doubled since 1996, according to the 
National Malaria Center. 
	Malaria rates in other provinces along the Thai border also are 
up, according to data from the first nine months of 1997.
	In Battambang province, rates increased 134 percent, and 
nearby Pursat and Banteay Meanchey provinces show 42 percent and 
28 percent rises.
	The National Malaria Center reports more than 50 percent 
increases in malaria cases nationwide. The figures were taken from 
municipal health centers across the country.
	National Malaria Center Vice Director Duong Socheat said it is 
too early to know why malaria cases are up in these provinces, but 
year-end data will be available at the end of the month. 
	But he did say recent fighting in the northwest and the 
resulting displacement of many residents is a likely factor. 
Statistics include for the first time former Khmer Rouge rebels who 
now consult government facilities.
	³We expect the numbers to be higher than other years,² said 
Duong Socheat, ³because of the population movement and the 
numbers of soldiers in the areas.²
	Health workers from Catholic Relief Services in Battambang 
said the data only include patients in municipal health centers. They 
cannot tell how many malaria patients are in military hospitals, go 
to private practitioners or treat themselves, said Lori Dostal, the 
health program manger for Catholic Relief Services in Battambang. 
	For this reason, health workers in Battambang believe the 
numbers actually might be much higher. 
	The National Malaria Center, World Health 
Organization (WHO) and several NGOs are distributing nets and 
medicine to camps of displaced people that have sprung up since the 
fighting began in July. The Cambodia Daily Mosquito Net Campaign 
also has given nets to refugees returning from Thailand.
	Malaria cases are up by nearly 60 percent in Phnom Penh and 
Kandal province. Rates in Takeo province southeast of Phnom Penh 
increased 15 percent. Malaria is not locally transmitted in these 
areas. Dr Gillian Hall from Sihanouk Hospital Center of Hope Hospital 
said malaria caseloads come in to city hospitals from other 
provinces. 
	Improved diagnostic and reporting tools also add to the higher 
figures, said Stefan Hoyer of WHO. Dipsticks‹devices used to detect 
malaria‹have recorded almost 30,000 positive cases. 
	But despite the large increase in overall cases, the fatality 
rate has dropped this year due to earlier treatment and diagnoses 
with the dipsticks, Hoyer said.