Hiao Khanh,29, is a member of the Community Malaria（疟疾）. Action Team in Chư Rcăm commune, Krông pa district, Gia Lai province, which is known for having the highest number of malaria cases in Vietnam. In 2020, more than 200 cases were reported across the district.
Hiao Khanh has been working in malaria prevention and control since 2019, after he recovered from malaria. "It was a near-death experience," said Hiao Khanh. "I had a high fever before getting medical support. After that, I was determined to help reduce sickness and deaths from malaria in my community."
People in this community depend heavily on the forest to earn a living. They go into the forest to work, and sleep there, putting them at high risk of contracting（感染） malaria. When it rains, the community's various forest settlements are nearly cut off as the dirt roads are flooded. Hiao Khanh and his team need to use motorbikes to reach different parts of the community to help protect people from malaria.
The team's main activities are to raise awareness about malaria prevention, provide protective items, and find out people who might have malaria and then transport them to healthcare facilities for testing.
With the right treatment, patients can now be cured in a shorter period of time. However, ensuring individuals stay on track with their treatment remains a challenge. Forest workers, for example, often prefer to return to work as soon as their fever breaks. Part of Hiao Khanh's work is to find and persuade （说服）patients to come back for treatment. Communication is an important aspect of his team's work. They actively listen to people's concerns, respond to their questions, and stress the importance of completing the full treatment course. "Just a ‘thank you' from the people is enough to give me strength to continue this job to reduce malaria in my homeland," said Hiao Khanh.
