Minister warns 120 million Indonesians under malaria threat

Indonesia's government has warned that around 120 million people in the country are at risk from the spread of malaria.

Minister for health Siti Fadilah Supari said that some 424 of the country's 495 districts and cities are classified as being malaria endemic regions, which account for around 45 per cent of the national population.

While the capital Jakarta is thought to be free from the disease, other areas including Papua, North Sumatra and East Nusa Tenggara are said to have the highest rate of prevalence of the parasite (approximately five cases per 1,000 of the population).

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the National Household Health Survey conducted in 2001 examined the state of malaria in Indonesia.

It estimated that the malaria-specific death rate was at 11 per 100,000 of the population for men and eight per 100,000 for women.

The WHO states that in 2006 malaria was present in 106 countries worldwide.