Malaria Papua Indonesia—Malaria is still a dangerous infectious disease that threatens the health of the Papuan population. Data from the Ministry of Health said that the province of Papua is still a highly endemic malaria disease caused by the bite of a female Anopheles mosquito carrying the Plasmodium parasite.
Director of Prevention and Control of Vector and Zoonotic Diseases of the Indonesian Ministry of Health, Didik Budijanto, confirmed that the parasite could reproduce in the liver of a person who is bitten when the immune condition is weak.
Malaria Papua Indonesia Symptoms
Symptoms from this condition generally include fever, headache, and nausea that appear a week after the mosquito bite. Malaria patients experience all three of these symptoms, even under specific circumstances.
The Indonesian Ministry of Health also confirmed that at least 435,000 people in various parts of the world died from malaria. The trend of number of cases tends to increase from year to year.
Despite reports, the number of cases in Indonesia’s provinces is trending downward, from 465.7 thousand positive cases in 2010 to 235.7 thousand in 2020. The ministry reminded that 86 percent of the Malaria cases in Papua Indonesia cases were contributed by the province, located on the western part of New Guinea Island. The rest came from West Papua and Maluku.
Eastern Regions of Indonesia are Prone to Malaria Attacks
The category of endemic areas of malaria is divided into three categories, namely low, medium, and high endemic areas. Some areas of eastern Indonesia are still in the high category, such as some of Papua and West Papua, although not all. However, always be vigilant if you visit there, especially for a long time.
One of the reasons why Malaria Papua Indonesia is still prone to it is because of geographical and cultural factors. In some areas in the region, there are still many people who live close to gardens, swamps, and trees that can become mosquito breeding grounds. It can increase the risk of malaria through mosquito bites.
In addition, the factor of hotter air at night can also affect this risk. Residents in the area are reluctant to use mosquito nets that can prevent mosquitoes from biting because it will block the wind so that they can sleep better. Mosquito nets contain insecticides that can kill mosquitoes when caught in their nets.
Additionally, due to the uneven availability of information, education regarding the risks and hazards of malaria is still restricted. In addition, the lack of people who get immunizations increases the risk of people getting infected. That way, the health role of the government is very important so that we can overcome these infectious immediately.
New Types of Mosquitoes That Cause Malaria
In Indonesia itself, the trend of Malaria Papua Indonesia tends to decline in 2020. However, the Director of Prevention and Control of Vector and Zoonotic Diseases of the Indonesian Ministry of Health, Didik Budijanto, revealed that 86 percent of the cases were donated by Papua.
“There are four regencies or cities in Papua, all of which are endemic for malaria (namely) Jayapura City, Jayapura Regency, Merauke, and Timika. All of them are in the red category,” he said, as quoted by Antara.
In Papua, mosquito bites cause three diseases:
- Malaria
- Filariasis or elephantiasis,
- Dengue is caused by Aedes aegypti.
He called Anopheles a mosquito who likes clubbing. Because these mosquitoes only come out at night from 18.00 until morning.
“Anopheles mosquitoes like clubbing. This mosquito will be ready when the sun begins to set. At that time, he will preen himself and fly looking for prey,” he said.
In addition to starting to appear at night, these mosquitoes usually often perch on walls, near the ground, or in dirty waterways. This is different from the dengue mosquito, which prefers clean standing water.
Wrapping Up
Those are some things you should know about Malaria Papua Indonesia, that are still prone to malaria. This disease is fairly easy to spread and very fatal if it occurs. Therefore, you must always be aware of mosquito bites by wearing long clothes and applying mosquito repellent lotion, so you don’t get bitten.
