This concerted effort of medical NGOs and the operational research programme has resulted in a dramatic decrease in mortality and morbidity related to malaria in the refugee camps. The percentage of the OPD consultations caused by malaria has dropped from 45% to under 1% in most of the camps. P.falciparum transmission has been suppressed and the continuous decline in drug efficacy halted. The surveillance system has allowed the timely intervention on malaria epidemics that became less frequent. However this favourable evolution has not been seen outside the refugee camps and in particular in the populations of migrant workers.

There is a clear need to deploy a similar strategy in the entire region, or the results obtained in the camps will be lost. This can be achieved with the collaboration of the Thai Public Health Authorities, NGOs and all other interested groups. Any future displacement of population (for instance repatriation of refugees or expulsion of workers) will have to be closely monitored for possible explosive malaria epidemics. Clearly the experience accumulated on the Thai-Burma border can be of benefit to other medical NGOs working in this part of the world. A possible perspective for this programme could be to establishment of a Malaria Regional Resource Network, a liaison between medical NGOs and research and academic groups.