Prepared 3,000 malaria RDTs to check on Nataru holiday residents in Biak, Papua

The Health Office (Dinkes) of Biak Numfor Regency, Papua Province, has prepared as many as 3,000 malaria rapid diagnostic test (RDT) kits for migrants entering the area during the 2023 Christmas and New Year (Nataru) holidays.

"The Health Office in collaboration with the Biak Port Health Office (KKP) will examine residents who enter during holidays through the seaport and airport in Biak," said the Acting Head of the Biak Health Office, Daud N. Duwiri, M.Kes in Biak, Saturday.

He explained that malaria examination under a microscope or by means of a rapid diagnostic test is recommended for all residents outside of Biak who are going on vacation to Nataru.

Recipients of malaria RDTs, according to him, are very useful for early detection of malaria prevention.

"During the Christmas and New Year holidays, it is estimated that many residents outside of Biak will go on vacation to Biak, so we need to anticipate the spread of malaria," he said.

With the RDT malaria service, he said, it is hoped that people from outside Biak Numfor who go on vacation are really healthy and do not carry the malaria virus.

"The Health Office is increasing the use of RDT as a means of diagnosing malaria in both endemic and non-endemic areas," he said.

He admitted that the advantages of RDT compared to microscopic examination were that it was simpler and easier to interpret and did not require special training such as microscopic examination.

While another advantage of the malaria RDT, he said, was objective, the variations in interpretation were small between one examiner and another.

"Even the RDT can detect P.falciparum when the parasite sequestrates in the blood capillaries by microscopic examination," he said.

He explained, RDT is useful in outbreak conditions (extraordinary events) and prevalence surveys, because the examination time is faster.

Biak Numfor Regency has been declared by the Biak Numfor Regent Herry Ario Naap to be a malaria elimination district in 2024, said Daud N. Duwiri.

SOURCE : https://www.antaranews.com/berita/3310014/3000-rdt-malaria-diJadikan-periksa-warga-liburan-nataru-di-biak-papua