With support from the Regional Artemisinin-resistance Initiative (RAI) grant, Community Partners International (CPI) is running the ‘Border-based Malaria Elimination’ project, and has established malaria posts to provide free malaria diagnostic testing and treatment for hard-to-reach communities along the Thailand–Myanmar border.
Establishing malaria posts and training malaria post workers are part of CPI’s project to strengthen efforts to contain the spread of drug resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria in the Greater Mekong Sub-region through early diagnosis and treatment of malaria. The goal of the RAI is to accelerate the elimination of P. falciparum malaria in the Greater Mekong Sub-region and avert the spread of artemisinin resistance.
CPI is a sub-recipient under the Inter Country Component (ICC) of the RAI grant and has established 80 malaria posts along the Thailand–Myanmar border. In December 2015, CPI and UNOPS personnel carried out a joint field visit to hard-to-reach villages in Dawei Township, where malaria is highly prevalent. The team visited Pyar Thar Chaung, Kin Pon Chone, Sar Pwai Thar and Tha Byu Chaung villages and met with malaria post workers there. They travelled by car and then by motorboat along a winding creek to reach Pyar Thar Chaung village.
Naw Mu Wah is 21 years old and from the village. She is a malaria post worker for the CPI malaria project.
“I can discharge my duties well as I am accepted by the community here who are in great need of quality malaria services. With the support I received from the CPI team, I have improved my skills and gained in confidence in my work.” She goes on to explain how she performs rapid diagnostic testing (RDT) and that she never misses the chance to observe the patient taking the first dose of the treatment if the result is positive for malaria.
Pyar Thar Chaung is one of the villages where targeted mass treatment (TMT) for malaria and randomized blood sample collection for analysis with quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) for detection of anti-malarial drug resistance has been carried out, under CPI’s malaria project with support from RAI.
Dr Kyaw Zan Linn, UNOPS RAI Public Health Analyst, interviewed villagers and village leaders of Pyar Thar Chaung about these interventions. They explained that most of the villagers had received a full course of the TMT medicines (dihyroartemisinin—piperaquine) and no severe adverse effects had been reported.
In previous years, most of the villagers felt sick and got fever during the rainy season. This year the TMT was conducted before the rainy season, and fewer people felt ill and needed to seek care from health staff. The villagers and village leaders said that they welcome the next round of TMT and qPCR activity.
Naw La Doo is 27 years old and is from Kin Pon Chone village, which is accessible only by foot or by motorbike through thick undergrowth. Her brother, 18-year-old Lei Kyi Doo, is a malaria post worker for CPI.
A malaria post has been opened at their temporary home, where they moved to get away from flooding during the rainy season of last year.
“We appreciate the free RDT malaria testing and antimalarial drugs being provided by my brother for the hard-to-reach community here with support from RAI. They have no one else to turn to for their basic healthcare needs,” said Naw La Doo’s of her brother’s volunteer role as a malaria post worker.
Naw Htee Lo Aye is a 38-year-old school teacher at the primary school of Sar Pwai Htar village. She also volunteers as a malaria post worker for CPI.
“I am performing my duties well both as a schoolteacher and a malaria post worker. The community here needs quality basic healthcare services. I do not expect anything in return. It is my satisfaction and joy that these children can be educated and enjoy happy and healthy lives with their families,” says Naw Htee Lo Aye.
At CPI’s malaria post in Tha Byu Chaung village, 20-year-old Naw Hal Bway got the chance to demonstrate her skills with RDT as she had to perform a blood test for Namira Bosnjak, UNOPS staff member.
Naw Hal Bway was aware of the importance of every single step—from registration, history taking to waiting for a full 15 minutes before she reads the test result. Luckily, Namira’s RDT result was negative.
“Naw Hal Bway has been properly trained by CPI staff and has good knowledge of malaria. Most importantly, the villagers trust her. We are very proud of her and the service she is contributing to the hard-to-reach community here,” said Namira.
Dr Aye Aye Khaing, CPI Project Manager adds, “Naw Hal Bway has very good knowledge of malaria. She did not forget to check the expiry date of the RDT package before she opened the pack and followed the safety procedure for proper disposal of used sharps. These seemingly small steps are very important in disease prevention.”
