Notable progress made to eradicate malaria in China

BEIJING - China is working hard to control imported malaria cases, with no primary infection cases recorded in the past two years, the Health News reported Friday.

The country reported no malaria cases infected by domestic sources for the first time in 2017 and again in 2018, according to the Beijing-based newspaper quoting the National Health Commission.

The report attributed the progress to continuous government spending in malaria control, better and more extensive healthcare services, a more effective monitoring and reporting network as well as improving public awareness through large-scale education campaigns.

However, the country still reported about 3,000 imported malaria cases and in 2018 there were four secondary infection cases, in which patients were infected in China by carriers from abroad, the report said.

The large number of people traveling in and out of China have posed great challenges for malaria control, the newspaper said, adding that global efforts are needed to eradicate the epidemic.

According to the National Immigration Administration in January, people made about 650 million trips in and out of China in 2018.