Cambodia records 25,050 malaria cases in 8 months, killing 6 people

Cambodia reported 25,050 malaria cases in the first eight months of this year, down 49 percent from the 48,810 cases over the same period last year, figures from the National Center for Malaria showed Thursday. During the January-August period this year, the disease has killed six people, down sharply from 31 deaths in the same period last year, the figures said. Char Meng Chuor, director of the center, told Xinhua that death toll from malaria was no longer a major concern for the Cambodian people. Last year, more than a million of mosquito nets were given free- of-charge to the vulnerable groups of people throughout the country to curb the disease. The country is committed to stopping the death from malaria by 2015 and entirely eliminating it by 2025, he said. Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease, which is often found in rainy seasons and mostly happens in forest and mountainous provinces. Last year, the country reported 45,553 cases of malaria, killing 45 people.