Joint efforts help curb malaria

KULONPROGO, Yogyakara: Joint efforts involving the regencies of Kulonprogo in Yogyakarta and neighboring Purworejo in Central Java have significantly reduced the number of malaria cases in the Menoreh highlands, which separate the two regencies, officials said.

Purworejo Health Office director Muhammad Sururi said over the weekend the number of malaria cases in his jurisdiction had dropped significantly to 14,860 cases in 2002 from 22,862 in 2001.

Speaking at the launch of a public awareness campaign on the dangers of malaria in the Kulonprogo village of Jatimulyo, Sururi said he had recorded less than 100 cases of malaria as of February this year.

Some 25 villages in the four Purworejo subdistricts of Bagelen, Kaligesing, Lowanu and Bener in the Menoreh highlands are considered as malaria-prone regions. They border on the Kulonprogo subdistricts of Girimulyo, Kalibawang, Samigaluh and Kokap, which are also considered vulnerable to the disease.

Kulonprogo Health Office director Sugiarto also revealed a sharp decline in the number of malaria cases in his jurisdiction to 27,000 in 2002 from 37,000 in 2001.

Both Sururi and Sugiarto attributed the decline in the incidence of malaria to coordination and cooperation involving all elements in the community as part of a comprehensive and integrated movement to deal with malaria. -- JP