沙璜島成功治愈瘧疾

Sabang （Indonesia）， An island once suffering from a record number of malaria cases has managed to eradicate all indigenous cases of the disease， which is a leading cause of death among children under age 5.

\"After the tsunami （2004）， there was an increase in malaria cases in Sabang，\"recalls Dr. Titik Yuniarti， Head of Communicable Disease Control in the district health office. \"In 2008， we started working with UNICEF to eliminate malaria.\"

Financial and technical support from UNICEF catalyzed greater government investment in controlling malaria and in enhancing health systems – –and budget allocations from the local government have steadily increased. Reporting has improved among hospitals and private physicians， as has more rapid investigation of reported cases.

In addition to political commitment and community engagement， strict malaria surveillance by the local health department was essential. The local health office included each malaria case in a database， providing information on all possible aspects that may have influenced a person’s risk of exposure， including where he or she lived and whether there were habitats of Anopheles mosquito larva nearby.

These efforts have yielded enormous success. \"[T]oday we can claim that we no longer have any indigenous cases on the island，\" says Dr. Yuniarti.

\"No one should die from a mosquito bite.\"