Australian High Commission
Honiara
Solomon Islands

World Malaria Day: Australia helps Solomons fight Malaria and Dengue

25 April 2014

World Malaria Day: Australia helps Solomons fight Malaria and Dengue

Australia’s ongoing support to malaria control and elimination in Solomon Islands has helped strengthen malaria and dengue control activities during the flood crisis.

Australia’s High Commissioner to Solomon Islands Andrew Byrne says that controlling malaria and dengue rates in Honiara and Guadalcanal Province has been a high priority for the response effort.

“Following the recent floods in Honiara and parts of Guadalcanal, malaria and dengue cases were initially expected to increase. Australia has supported local authorities to ensure the risk of outbreaks is minimised, especially in evacuation centres.”

“We have helped to distribute more than 5400 bed nets and sprayed 420 hectares to deter mosquito larvae. We have also funded Ultra Low Volume Fogging to kill mosquitos in areas with high incidences of mosquito-borne diseases.”

Mr Byrne says the Australian aid program has worked closely with the Solomon Islands Government and agencies for more than a decade to combat malaria and dengue.

“Over the past years our assistance to the Ministry of Health’s malaria program has helped the incidence of malaria drop by 75 per cent from 2002 levels, and has helped the program achieve a rate of just 42 malaria cases per 1000 people in 2012.”

“Malaria is a preventable disease. I am proud that Australia’s partnership with the Ministry of Health has resulted in fewer cases of and deaths from malaria,” Mr Byrne said.

World Malaria Day is commemorated annually on 25 April and recognises global efforts to control malaria.The day was established to provide education and understanding of malaria and to share information on the implementation of national malaria-control strategies, including community-based activities for malaria prevention and treatment in endemic areas all over the globe.