An astonishing 10 million people living along the Burma/China border who travel across the border frequently are at risk of contracting malaria. Health Poverty Action’s project here will directly benefit these people – a mix of rural communities and migrant workers.

Malaria is on the rise in central and southern China and this project, which started in 2006, aims to cut the number of deaths and outbreaks of the disease in six targeted provinces. It does this by:

providing treated bed nets and free re-treatment services to 3 million people, using public health providers

training health workers to carry out correct diagnosis and providing anti-malarial drugs

monitoring the disease by providing technical training and malaria testing kits

providing equipment and insecticide for spraying so authorities can strengthen their response to and containment of malaria outbreaks

establishing four microscopy stations in Burma along the border

outreach work that increases community awareness and demand for effective malaria prevention and treatment.

Health Poverty Action is working in partnership with the Global Fund Round 5 China Malaria Programme on this project.

Preventing cross border malaria

Malaria levels are high along the Burma/China border and this project works on both sides of the border, increasing local communities’ access to better quality malaria services including prevention and treatment.

The programme targets mobile Chinese workers from 12 counties of Yunnan and Burmese residents living in four special regions of Burma, and benefits 3.5 million people.

The project provides comprehensive malaria prevention and care services in China through the Chinese Ministry of Health – activities include:

health education

provision of malaria diagnosis and treatment facilities

training health staff

provision of anti-malarial drugs.

Working in Burma, Health Poverty Action is strengthening the local health service by:

providing better malaria diagnosis and treatment services

increasing communities’ access to these services

educating people with key messages on malaria prevention

providing treated bed nets and promoting their use

The project also improves cross-border malaria surveillance systems and works with the Global Fund Round 6 China Malaria Programme and local partners.