Dili, 20 October 2009- Malaria, a disease without borders, has recently received a boost here in Timor-Leste. Today, with an additional 62 personnel recruited to work in the country's malaria control programme, districts and sub-districts in Timor Leste will now have the resources to tackle this disease.

"The control programme was challenged up until now due to a lack of human resources but today we are more confident that with these district and regional malaria officers and the assistants on board, we will have the basic tools to carry out an effective control programme," said Dr Nelson Martin, Minister of Health of the IV Constitutional Government.

These individuals received an intensive month long training recently which taught them about the way malaria is transmitted, how to carry out proper diagnosis and treatment as well as the effective management of the mosquito.
In addition, 80 existing analysts with the malaria control programme attended a two-week refresher training session on Malaria microscopy to further improve their diagnostic capabilities.

This is just the first of many crucial interventions taken by the Ministry of Health, with the financial assistance of The Global Fund and technical expertise of the World Health Organization, to address the country's Malaria situation. There are annually over 100,000 reported cases of Malaria and children under the age of five years are usually the victims to this disease.

"Malaria is a preventable disease and sleeping under a long-lasting insecticidal net is one way of keeping away the diseases. It's also curable, but those on medication must complete the entire course in order to recover completely," said Dr Paramita Sudharto, the World Health Organization's representative in Timor-Leste.

Malaria thrives in coastal landscapes and forested areas however it is endemic throughout this country. It particularly affects pregnant women, children under the age of five, remote groups, urban poor, mobile populations, young adults and border communities.

For more information contact:

Shima Roy, Communications Officer, WHO Timor-Leste, email: roysh@searo.who.int
Mobile: +670- 7540321

Iha kapasidade boot atu hasoru Malária iha Timor-Leste

Dili, 20 Outubru 2009: Malária, moras ida ne'ebé laiha fronteira, foin dadaun ne'e hjetan hadi'a iha Timor- Leste. Ohin loron, ho aumenta ema na'in 62 ne'ebé hetan rekrutamentu atu sevisu ba programa kontrola malária iha nasionál, distritu no sub-distritu iha Timor Leste agora iha ona rekursu atu hasoru moras ne'e.

"Programa kontrola hetan dezafiu to'o oras ne'e tanba menus rekursu umanu maibé ohin loron ami konfiante ho ofisiál malária iha distritu no rejionál no kuadru asistente, ita sei iha instrumentu báziku atu hala'o programa kontrola ne'ebé efetivu" hateten Dr Nelson Martins, Ministru Saúde IV Governu Konstitusionál.

Ema sira ne'e simu treinamentu insentivu naruk fulan nia laran foin dadaun ne'ebé hanorin sira kona-ba maneira oinsá malária hada'et, oinsá halo diagnoza no tratamentu ne'ebé apropriadu nune'e mós jestaun susuk ida ne'ebé efetivu.
Seluk tan, analista 80 ne'ebé programa kontrola malária iha, atende sesaun treinu refresku semana rua kona-na Mikroskópiu malária atu hadi'a liután sira nia kapasidade diagnóstiku.

Ida ne'e intervensaun importante uluk husi intervensaun barak ne'ebé Ministériu Saúde hala'o, ho asisténsia finanseiru husi Fundus Globál no espertu tékniku husi Organizasaun Mundiál Saude atu enderesa ba situasaun Malária iha nasaun laran. Iha relatóriu katak kada tinan liu kazu malária 100,000 no labarik ho idade menus husi tinan lima baibain sai vítima ba moras ida ne'e.

"Malária nu'udar moras ida ne'ebé bele prevene no toba iha moskiteiru ne'ebé nia insektisida lakon kleur hanesan dalan ida ne'ebé atu hadook an husi moras. Moras ne'e mós bele kura, maibé sira ne'ebé hetan tratamentu tenke hemu ai-moruk kompletu atu hetan rekuperasaun kompletu," hateten Dr Paramita Sudharto, Reprezentante Organizasaun Mundiál Saúde iha Timor-Leste.

Malária barak liu iha tasi ibun no ai laran tuan maske nune'e nia endémiku iha nasaun ida ne'e. Partikularmente nia afeta feto isin-rua, labarik ho idade menus husi tinan lima, grupu remotas, ema kiak sira iha sidade, populasaun movel, adultu foin sa'e sira no komunidade iha fronteira.

Informasaun liután kontaktu:

Shima Roy, Communications Officer, WHO Timor-Leste, email: roysh@searo.who.int
Mobile: (+670) 7540321