Malaria Heroes of the Mekong 15.09.2017

Across the five countries of the Greater Mekong Region (GMS), the Global Fund supports more than 20,000 village malaria workers like Saw Zarli. Eliminating malaria is essential to fighting drug resistance and preventing a resurgence that can spread across borders. Where health centers are far and few between, village malaria workers are on the front line of this fight. Village malaria workers are trusted in their communities, because the services they provide save lives and create new opportunities. They are part of the solution.

In the fight to eliminate malaria in the Mekong, everyday heroes keep their communities healthy. Saw Zar Li is one.

He, along with an army of more than 20,000 like him across Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam, are on the front lines battling one of the world’s oldest killers. Their weapons are mosquito nets and rapid diagnostic tests.

They dispense quality-assured medicine and good advice. With support from the Global Fund, they are helping to find and treat cases in remote places where health centers are few and far between – and with cases of drug-resistant malaria on the rise across the region, there is not a moment to lose.