| Project Detail |
Project outline and objectives
In Cambodia, those most vulnerable to malaria infection are
forest goers who live and work in remote areas that lack access
to community or facility-based healthcare services.
Therefore, since December 2015 Malaria Consortium has
been working with mobile malaria workers (MMWs) to pilot
different methods in various locations for the early diagnosis
and treatment of malaria among this high-risk group. MMWs
are respected and trusted members of the target population
and are able to communicate in local languages. They have
knowledge of the forest and regional topography and conduct
frequent and intensive outreach activities in difficult terrain.
Moreover, they are able to coordinate with the national
surveillance and reporting systems at the local level.
Through the Regional Artemisinin Initiative 2 Elimination
(RAI2E) project we have:
• strategically placed 11 mobile malaria posts (MMPs) at
unofficial border crossings, forest entry points and other
meeting points frequented by forest goers — such as stores
and cross roads — to provide timely treatment to those
diagnosed with malaria
• worked with 55 MMWs to provide outreach malaria services
in forests, including proactive and reactive case detection
and treatment.
Preliminary findings from our work indicate that MMPs are the
most efficient means of identifying and treating large numbers
of malaria cases among forest goers. Reactive and proactive case
detection in forests is, nevertheless, necessary to increase the
reach of diagnosis and treatment services.
Since September 2018, we have expanded the network of
MMWs and established a ‘protective ring’ of MMWs and MMPs
around the main forests of northeast Cambodia. This expansion
aims to ensure that all forest goers living along the northeastern
border have timely access to preventive tools — such as
insecticide treated hammock nets and long lasting insecticidal
nets — as well as testing and treatment services.
Overall, this project aims to:
• provide testing to forest goers
• distribute long lasting insecticidal nets and impregnated
hammock nets to all forest goers
• treat all confirmed malaria cases and refer severe cases to
the nearest health centre
• strengthen the local public health system by linking the
MMWs with the national surveillance system.
Activities
Building on the efforts of the project’s predecessor RAI, we
tested over 50,119 forest goers and treated more than 6,152
confirmed malaria cases between April 2016 and June 2019.
We will continue our efforts to target this key population, in
collaboration with the National Malaria Control Programme
and provincial health authorities, by:
• training and supporting a well-established MMW network
• operating outreach services, either in the forest or in
strategically selected areas, to ensure their accessibility and
that the maximum number of forest goers is reached
• providing appropriate vector control measures to all who
access our services. |
