45% of Indonesian Population at Risk of Malaria, Health Minister Says
About 45% of Indonesia's population is at risk of malaria, Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari said Monday in a speech to the country's Parliament, Bloomberg reports. According to Supari, malaria is endemic in 424 of Indonesia's 495 districts and cities (Bennett, Bloomberg, 2/16).
Supari added that in the highest-incidence areas, there are five malaria cases for every 1,000 people annually, compared with one to five cases per 1,000 people annually in regions with moderate incidence and less than one case per 1,000 people in low-incidence areas. Indonesia's capital of Jakarta and the Bali province, a tourist destination, are non-endemic, Supari said. She added that Indonesia's Ministry of Health has increased efforts to eliminate malaria in the country, Xinhuanet reports (Xinhuanet, 2/16).
