>
>Nets Bring Malaria Rates Tumbling in Cambodia's Northeast

>By Catherine Philp
>the Cambodia daily

>    The prevalence of malaria in a Ratanakkiri village, previously thought to
>have the highest level of transmission in the region, has taken a tumble only
>six months after a National Malaria Center (CNM) mission visited it to treat
>patients and distribute mosquito nets.
>    Ka Chok village was first visited by a CNM team in May 1996, who
>discovered
>malaria parasites present in the blood of nearly 60 percent of children.
>    After treating the cases, the rate of symptomatic malaria infection in
>villagers fell to zero. But six months later, when the CNM team revisited the
>village, they discovered that most of the children they had treated had been
>re infected and fallen ill with malaria.
>    On that visit, in addition to treating all those presenting symptoms of
>malaria, the CNM team distributed insecticide-impregnated mosquito nets to all
>villagers in a bid to prevent re infection.
>    A year after their original visit, the CNM mission has proved a remarkable
>success. The rate of children suffering from malaria symptoms had fallen
>from 50
>percent in May 1996 to 19 percent in May 1997.
>    Dr. Stefan Hoyer, malaria project officer at the World Health
>Organization,
>has little doubt that mosquito nets are the cause of the drop in the re
infection
>rate in Ka Chok.
>    "Reinfections had occurred, but they were significantly less than had
>occurred in the previous six months without the nets," Hoyer said.
>    As one of eight "indicator" villages being studied by the CNM, Ka Chok is
>crucial in helping to build up a national picture of the disease and how
>best to
>combat it.
>    It is the first village where the CNM has built up a year's worth of
>data on
>the effect of their efforts in treatment, health education and net
>distribution
>on malaria in remote forest villages.
>    The results of the CNM study there suggest that a combination of treatment
>of existing malaria and the use of impregnated bed nets is the most effective
>way to combat malaria rates in areas of local transmission.
>    To that end, the CNM is working in conjunction with other NGOs to ensure
>widespread distribution of the nets in different areas of the country.
>    But before nets can be distributed, funds must be found to purchase them.
>"We have currently 55,000 nets to be distributed as soon as the rainy season
>stops,"  Hoyer said.
>    "But we would need an additional 105,000 nets to protect every man, woman
>and child living in the highly malarial forests of Cambodia," he added.
>    "That is why we are grateful for every single contribution made to this
>campaign by The Cambodia Daily. Every net counts."
>
>Donations in US dollars
>