Health officials in Laos have announced a plan to eliminate six diseases in the country within the next 14 years.
The plan was announced at a recent high-level meeting for the health sector held in Vientiane Province chaired by Minister of Health, Dr. Bounfeng Phoummalaysith, according to Vientiane Times.
While Malaria is still present in Laos, the country was able to slash cases by 92% between 2000 and 2010, with the last major outbreak occurring in 2014, when 50,000 cases were recorded.
The country has seen better progress in recent years, with an all-time low of 3,505 cases recorded in 2020. Officials hope that all types of Malaria can be eradicated across every province in Laos by 2025.
Meanwhile, officials believe the debilitating, mosquito-borne elephantiasis should also be eliminated by the end of this year.
It also is hoped that sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS can be wiped out across the nation by 2030.
The government hopes to eliminate Tuberculosis (TB) by the end of 2030.
Laos retains a high TB disease burden with an incidence rate of 11,000 cases annually and a mortality rate of 34 per 100,000, according to a WHO report.
