Addressing the Ceremony, Dr. Nguyen Van Chuong-Director of IMPE-QN launched the malaria control campaign of Central and West-Highland region of Vietnam. The global campaign theme for 2013 and the coming years is "Invest in the future. Defeat malaria". World Malaria Day was instituted by WHO Member States during the 2007 World Health Assembly. It is an occasion to harmonize global, regional, national and country-level advocacy efforts to maintain progress in preventing, diagnosing and treating malaria. In 2012 and previous years, the IMPE-QN in coordination with the health sectors of regional provinces as well as other civil-army health sectors and  borderguard army health stations have made much attempt to control malaria, contain epidemic diseases, lower malaria morbidity and mortality and prevent malaria outbreaks from occuring, thereby contributing in the improvement of the people's health and productivity in severely-hit areas of malaria. However, the malaria situation of Central Vietnam in general and Phu Yen province in particular has been complicated and at high risk of malaria recurrence, especially in deep-lying, remote and border areas.

Dr. Nguyen Van Binh-Director of General Department of Preventive Medicine giving directive speeches at the Ceremony

              According to the statistical malarial data of five years (2006-2012) and two recent years (2011-2012), malaria parasites and malaria deaths were mainly found in Central Vietnam and Binh Phuoc province. In 2012, although the country's malaria situation showed a decreased tendency, malaria indexes in the Central - Western Highland region have been raised in comparison with the same period previous year with malaria cases by 10.06%, malaria parasites by 30.82% and 7 of 8 whole country malaria deaths. The increase of malaria cases in 2012 was due to a high proportion of malaria-endemic zones in Central Vietnam and many other factors affecting natural transmission of malaria; for examples, P.falciparum has made up a high rate and risked resisting anti-malarial drugs; the main vectors (i.e. An.minimus, An.dirus) have existed over malaria-endemic areas and tended to resurge; the malaria pathogen (malaria parasite) has been in existence still, which increase the risks of malaria transmission and outbreaks; the difficulties in managing mobilised population (people going to the forests for work, sleeping in the field huts and crossing the borders), etc.

Dr. Nguyen Thanh Duong-Director of NIMPE and Chairman of National Malaria Control Programme giving directive speech at the Ceremony

Mr. Tran Quang Nhat- Vice Chairman of Phu Yen PPC directing the health sector of Phu Yen  to effectively conduct health education and communication for malaria control

2013 is the beginning year of the implementation of the National Strategy for Malaria Control and Elimination period 2011-2020. The Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology Quy Nhon has launched the campaign of malaria control 2013 for the effectuation of National Strategy for Malaria Control and Elimination, which is conformable to the goals set by the State and the World Health Organization.

Dr. Tran Cong Dai-representative of WHO in Vietnam in his speech at the Ceremony