Cambodia Malaria Elimination Project 2 (CMEP2)

The Challenge

Cambodia has not experienced a confirmed malaria death since 2018 and the malaria cases have decreased by 99.97% in the last 6 years.

But challenges remain in preventing malaria re-introduction in elimination areas and scaling up elimination efforts nationally and within specific high-risk populations, such as forest workers and mobile and migrant populations.

Overview and Objectives

The Cambodia Malaria Elimination Project 2 (CMEP2) builds on URC’s nearly two decades of working with Cambodia’s National Center for Parasitology, Entomology, and Malaria Control (CNM) to eliminate malaria and control the development and spread of drug-resistant malaria in the Greater Mekong Subregion.

The goal of CMEP2 is to eliminate malaria and prevent its re-introduction in target provinces, contributing to nationwide elimination and achievement of the Cambodia Malaria Elimination Action Framework 2: A Malaria-Free Cambodia and leading efforts towards self-reliance and sustained, self-financed malaria programming.

To prepare for a malaria-free Cambodia and prevent re-establishment, CMEP2 is focusing on transition of ownership and responsibility for service delivery from the project to government counterparts and other local stakeholders. The project provides technical assistance to the CNM  so that operational districts increasingly plan, implement, and monitor activities.

CMEP2 works to:

• Detect, effectively and safely treat, and follow up on all malaria cases and provide personal protection to high-risk populations;
• Strengthen national malaria surveillance and monitoring and evaluation systems appropriate for malaria elimination and control activities as well as prevention of re-introduction; and
• Build Cambodian health staff capacity to manage, intensify, and sustain malaria control and elimination efforts, especially at the provincial and operational district levels.

The activity works in six provinces: Pailin, Batambang, Pursat, Kep, Kampot, and Koh Kong – which are supported by U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) malaria elimination activities.

Achievements

“In 2000, Cambodia experienced 129,167 malaria cases and 897 deaths. However, 2024 was the sixth year in a row without a malaria death in the country and cases declined to 273 – a 99.97% reduction from 2000. With CMEP2’s support, Cambodia eliminated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in 2024 and is on track to eliminate all species of malaria, including Plasmodium vivax, by 2025.”

Key results achieved to date under CMEP2 include:

• Rapid identification and effective treatment: Tested 332,011 suspected cases, of which 876 were positive, with 100% having received treatment according to the National Treatment Guidelines;
• Successful surveillance using the 1-3-7 approach: Of the 876 identified malaria cases over the life of the project to date, 74% were notified within 1 day, 100% were investigated within 3 days, and 100% were responded to within 7 days;
• Powerful, culturally appropriate messaging: Reached 530,301 people through interpersonal social behavior change communication;
• Localized prevention strategies: Distributed more than 144,665 long-lasting insecticidal nets and 36,815 long-lasting insecticidal hammock nets, including by two local civil society organizations; and
• Health systems strengthening: Trained 3,260 health workers in case management with artemisinin-based combination therapy, malaria laboratory diagnosis, drug management, entomology, and prevention of malaria re-establishment – including documentation management, prevention of re-introduction strategies, and sub-national verification.