Antara News·Indonesia·Friday, November 6, 2026 at 03:16 AM UTC

Papua provinces join forces to curb cross-border malaria

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Fransiskus SW, Rahmad Nasution

Manokwari, W Papua (ANTARA) - The West Papua and Southwest Papua provincial governments are strengthening cooperation to prevent and control malaria in border areas, aiming to curb transmission across district and provincial boundaries.

“We have been discussing joint interventions with the Southwest Papua Health Office in Sorong from November 4 to 7,” West Papua Health Office chief Alwan Rimosan said here Thursday.

Alwan said malaria control in border areas required cooperation between local governments because people's movements were not restricted by administrative boundaries.

The cooperation targets the border between Teluk Bintuni District in West Papua and South Sorong District in Southwest Papua, particularly the Kamundan and Kalitami areas, which share close geographic and population links.

These conditions could influence malaria transmission patterns across districts and provinces, making coordinated prevention and case management essential.

“Anopheles mosquitoes do not check provincial identity cards. Malaria control therefore cannot be carried out independently but requires cooperation across regions,” he said.

Teluk Bintuni recorded 717 active malaria cases in 2025, an increase of about 129 percent from 313 cases in 2024, Alwan said.

Epidemiological investigations covered 87.3 percent of cases, finding that 54.4 percent involved local transmission and 39.4 percent were imported.

Another 3.5 percent were imported relapse cases, while 2.5 percent involved local relapses, Alwan said.

Imported malaria cases from South Sorong accounted for about 247 cases in Teluk Bintuni in 2025. Meanwhile, South Sorong recorded an average of 76 cases per month.

The figures have prompted both governments to strengthen coordination on case tracking, community health screening, treatment, and control of malaria transmission risks in border areas.

Discussions include mapping malaria patterns, identifying obstacles to treatment, improving coordination, and sharing case information, including patients' travel histories, Alwan said.

The two provinces also agreed to divide responsibilities for surveillance, case detection, epidemiological investigations, treatment, cross-border case follow-up, vector control, and malaria prevention.

Alwan said he hoped the cooperation would go beyond an administrative agreement and lead to concrete action and sustained coordination through the TOKEN approach: find, treat and control.

“We hope this interregional cooperation will accelerate malaria elimination in Teluk Bintuni and help build a healthier West Papua,” he said.

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