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Malaria Task Force Thai-Burma border |
The
weekly surveillance of malaria cases is necessary because of the possibility
of malaria epidemics. In the past 14 years that SMRU has worked on malaria
in the refugee camps, there were 8 epidemics of malaria and a high number
of deaths.
The monitoring is the result of the co-operation between SMRU and the NGOs in the framework of the MTF. Every week, statistics describing the number of cases of malaria diagnosed in the laboratories and the clinics of each camps are sent to the SMRU/MTF office in Mae Sot by fax. There, these forms are entered into computerised data bases that contain all the information on the number of cases of falciparum/vivax/mix cases by sites, age groups and the cases seen in pregnant women. The databases are updated weekly and graphs generated monthly. This information is then returned to the local office of each NGO for their own monitoring. If abnormal trends are observed, the data are discussed with the NGO responsible staff and if necessary, a MTF member visits the site itself for a detailed assessment and further discussions with the team in the field. This system has worked remarkably well and all outbursts of malaria that have occurred siAnce it was implemented, were tackled effectively. More recently the very low number of cases registered in the camps indicates that suppression of malaria has taken place in all the sites where the recommended strategy of early detection and treatment has been used. This is reassuring, but a sudden change in the host/vector/parasite relation because of population displacement, such as in the Southern part of the border recently, could trigger new epidemics.
The monitoring is the result of the co-operation between SMRU and the NGOs in the framework of the MTF. Every week, statistics describing the number of cases of malaria diagnosed in the laboratories and the clinics of each camps are sent to the SMRU/MTF office in Mae Sot by fax. There, these forms are entered into computerised data bases that contain all the information on the number of cases of falciparum/vivax/mix cases by sites, age groups and the cases seen in pregnant women. The databases are updated weekly and graphs generated monthly. This information is then returned to the local office of each NGO for their own monitoring. If abnormal trends are observed, the data are discussed with the NGO responsible staff and if necessary, a MTF member visits the site itself for a detailed assessment and further discussions with the team in the field. This system has worked remarkably well and all outbursts of malaria that have occurred siAnce it was implemented, were tackled effectively. More recently the very low number of cases registered in the camps indicates that suppression of malaria has taken place in all the sites where the recommended strategy of early detection and treatment has been used. This is reassuring, but a sudden change in the host/vector/parasite relation because of population displacement, such as in the Southern part of the border recently, could trigger new epidemics.