China-aided malaria projects expected to help Cambodia achieve malaria-free goal: health official

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- China-aided malaria projects are expected to help Cambodia achieve its malaria elimination goal by the end of 2025, a Cambodian health official said on Monday.

Siv Sovannaroth, chief of the Technical Bureau and manager of the Malaria Program at the National Center for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria Control, said China has supported Cambodia in the fight against malaria for nearly 10 years through various projects.

"China has a long collaboration with our center through South-South cooperation, Mekong-Lancang Cooperation, and the Belt and Road Initiative," he told Xinhua.

He said collaboration has been focused on increasing the capacity of the malaria program through training and research, the pilot project on Mass Drug Administration in western Kampong Speu province, and surveillance activities in the areas most prone to malaria.

Sovannaroth said Cambodia recorded only 37 local malaria cases from January to August 2025, a sharp drop of nearly 90 percent from 335 cases over the same period last year.

Cambodia has set an ambitious target to eliminate all forms of malaria by 2025, he said, expressing his confidence that China's assistance will help the kingdom achieve this goal.

The Southeast Asian country has reported zero fatalities from malaria since 2018.

Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that is typically found in forest and mountainous provinces, especially during rainy seasons.