HANOI: Vietnam has recorded 141 cases of malaria since early this year, an increase of 107.4 per cent over the same period in 2023, Xinhua quoted Vietnam News on Wednesday (May 15), citing the National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology.

According to Hoang Dinh Canh, the institute's director, 13 out of the 23 provinces with malaria cases reported infections from imported sources. This is a challenge for malaria prevention and elimination in the future.

Poor economic conditions, food hygiene practices, personal hygiene and environmental hygiene will increase the risks of disease transmission and limit the ability of health authorities to prevent outbreaks, he said.

There are currently about seven million people living in Vietnam's malaria-endemic areas in 1,030 communes, mostly poor people and ethnic minorities living in mountainous, remote areas, Central Highlands and border areas, according to the institute.

Last year, 448 malaria cases were reported across the South-East Asian country.

To achieve the goal of eliminating malaria by 2030, Vietnam must have no more cases of domestic malaria parasites by 2027. - Bernama-Xinhua