MALARIA CONTROLSTRATEGY ON INDONESIAN ARMY IN BORDER ENDEMIC MALARIA PAPUA AND PAPUA NEW GUINEA (CASE ON BORDER SECURITY TASK FORCE INFANTRY YONIF 713/ST, YONIT 300/R DAN YONIF 509 KOSTRAD IN AUGUST 2019-APRIL 2020)

Every year, 1350 TNI personnel are sent as a Security Task Force to the north sector of RI-PNG Border which is a malaria endemic area. The nine-month assignment allowed the soldiers to become infected with malaria, despite effective control measures being implemented.The aim of control is to prevent death and reduce the incidence of malaria. There are three control strategies according to the TNI technical guidelines: i) Anopheles vector control. ii) Vector mapping in postal environment. iii) Early case management and treatment.Rapid diagnosis test (RDT), Primaquine and Dihydroartemisinin-Piperaquine (DHP) treatment were performed as the first line in case management.The research method is qualitative with observation, FGD, in-depth interviews and retrospective analysis used in the study.The results of the observation there are gaps in the implementation of control strategies by the three task force battalions in border area, namely there is no extension media, still using fogging, undisciplined using refellan and mosquito nets. Prophylaxis and Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) have not been used. From FGDs and in-depth interviews with related parties, the sub-optimality occurred due to conflicts with local culture (HakUlayat) and poor environmental management. From a retrospective analysis of health data, 1350 troops, 855 were malaria positive (incidence = 63.33%), 2 died (CFR = 0.23%) and 259 (incidence = 19.19%) relapsed. From the type of plasmodium, P. Vivax= 506, P. Falciparum= 322 and Mix= 43 .The conclusion is that there is a need for self-discipline from each personnel and a multidisciplinary approach with field practitioners, infectiologists, microbiologists, epidemiologists, entomologists, sociologists, anthropologists, in controlling malaria.