Phnom Penh, Jan 3 : Cambodia has reported a 74 per cent decrease in malaria cases in 2024, marking significant progress in the fight against the disease, a health official said on Friday.

Huy Rekol, Director of the National Centre for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria Control, said malaria cases in the Southeast Asian country plummeted by 74 per cent from 1,384 cases in 2023 to only 355 cases in 2024.

"It's wonderful to hear about the remarkable progress Cambodia has made in reducing malaria cases in 2024. It is truly impressive," he told.

"Moreover, Cambodia has reported zero fatalities since 2018 and no local Plasmodium Falciparum cases since January 2024," he added.

Rekol said this achievement could be attributed to improvement in surveillance response, increased awareness among citizens, and availability of adequate equipment, such as malaria testing devices, insecticide-treated mosquito nets, and anti-malarial drugs.

He added that the efforts of healthcare professionals and the government, along with effective malaria diagnostic tests and treatments like Artesunate-Mefloquine (ASMQ), have been instrumental in this success, Xinhua news agency reported.

"This progress has put Cambodia in the category of successful countries in eliminating malaria," Rekol said. "With continued vigilance, Cambodia aims to eliminate malaria cases by 2025."

Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by a parasite that is transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito.

Early symptoms include fever, headache, and chills, and usually appear 10'15 days after the bite. Other symptoms include vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, muscle or joint pain, fatigue, rapid breathing, rapid heart rate, and cough.

Malaria is mainly found in the tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, Asia, and Africa. The term malaria comes from the Medieval Italian phrase mala aria, which means "bad air".

Malaria is common in tropical areas where it's hot and humid. In 2020, there were 241 million reported cases of malaria throughout the world, with 627,000 deaths due to malaria. The majority of these cases occur in Africa and South Asia.

/IANS