In Lao PDR, with the support of the Global Fund’s RAI grant, UNOPS Asia Regional Health Cluster (ARHC) has been working with the Ministry of Health and partners to support the country’s malaria elimination efforts. With the pledge to eliminate Plasmodium falciparum – the deadliest of the five malaria parasites – by the end of 2023 and all malaria parasites by the end of 2030, the country is on track to reach its goal, with a sharp decline in malaria cases from an estimated 462,000 in 1997 to 2,305 in 2022.
In Champasak Province, nestled in the southwestern part of Lao PDR near the border with Thailand and Cambodia, during a recent visit UNOPS ARHC witnessed a story of determination, collaboration and hope in the fight against malaria.
“We have been working hand-in-hand with all the key stakeholders to strengthen our surveillance systems, ensure early diagnosis and provide effective treatment,” said Mr. Khamchanh Laknoxvong, Malaria Technical Staff of Champasak Provincial Health Office. "We are witnessing a decline in malaria cases, and our dedicated teams are working tirelessly to make Champasak Province malaria-free."
Champasak Province comprises 10 districts, most of which are paving their way to malaria elimination. The health sector has continued to deliver and improve routine responses, focusing on fast and early diagnosis and treatment.
In 2022, about 104 of the 148 districts in Lao PDR were reported as malaria-free (with no indigenous cases in the last three years).
Despite this remarkable success, the country still has challenges to face in order to eliminate malaria completely. Malaria control is still challenging among those ‘hardest-to-reach,’ such as forest-goers and mobile and migrant populations.
“The remaining challenges are with the remote and hard-to-reach communities who live and work in heavily forested locations,” he said.
The ‘1-3-7’ approach is used in the districts where malaria elimination activities are conducted: to report confirmed malaria cases in one day, investigate and classify the confirmed cases in three days, and follow up with necessary actions within seven days. Champasak Province set up a malaria hotline, ‘165’, in May 2023 in the districts where malaria burden reduction activities are conducted, to inform and record the malaria cases so that the necessary response can be made immediately.
Global Fund and other partner funding have made possible the progress towards elimination in the country through greater access to effective malaria control tools, particularly artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACT), rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) and insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITN).
Recent successes are due to the increased efforts of volunteer malaria workers in villages and the use of ‘accelerator’ strategies. These strategies involve more innovative and aggressive approaches to eliminate the disease proactively.
Nurse Bountheung Ladsavong, Head of Donedeng Health Center in Pathoumphone District, Champasak Province, emphasizes the importance of community engagement.
"Eliminating malaria is not just a medical task; it's a community effort," she remarks. "We've trained village health workers, educated the public on preventive measures and created a support network. It's heartening to see the community actively participating in keeping each other safe from malaria."
Mr. Bounyeung Inthilath, a dedicated volunteer malaria worker in Xiengwang village under Donedeng Health Center, speaks passionately about his role in the elimination efforts.
"As a volunteer, I've been reaching remote areas, conducting tests and raising awareness about the importance of early detection," he said. "People are now more aware of the signs and symptoms and seek help promptly. Together, we are making a difference."
The RAI has been expanded with a fourth phase, the RAI4-Elimination (RAI4E) programme, with a US$ 146.3 million regional grant over a three-year period (2024–2026). With the RAI4E grant, UNOPS ARHC consistently works to enhance the quality of routine interventions and implement creative, aggressive strategies to eliminate malaria proactively. The focus is on identifying cases that persist in remote, forested and hard-to-reach communities.
