KUCHING: Sarawak will host the 21st International Congress for Tropical Medicine and Malaria (ICTMM) next year, strengthening the state's position as a hub for advancing public health.
Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian said this marks the first time the conference will be held in Malaysia.
"We are honoured to host the congress next year. This is one way for us to address tropical diseases and discover new collaborators," he told a press conference here on Monday (July 17).
Dr Sim said Sarawak's tropical climate and geographical diversity created a habitat for diseases such as malaria and dengue, leading to higher transmissions of tropical diseases.
He said the state recorded 421 cases of malaria from January to June this year, comprising 120 imported cases and 301 local zoonotic cases caused by Plasmodium knowlesi (P. knowlesi).
The P. knowlesi parasite is usually carried in macaques and transmitted to humans through mosquito bites.
Dr Sim said Universiti Malaysia Sarawak's malaria research centre has been instrumental in studying the genetics and transmission of malaria.
"We also look forward to the Sarawak Infectious Disease Centre, which is expected to open by 2024,” said Dr Sim.
"Tropical medicine will be a major study at the centre and the Sarawak Research and Development Council has already met with Imperial College London and the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute in Switzerland to discuss research collaborations," he added.
Over 2,000 delegates are expected to attend the congress on Sept 19-23, 2024 to discuss topics such as neglected diseases, drug resistance, travel medicine and zoonoses, or diseases and infections transmitted between animals and humans.
Themed "Global Responses and Interdisciplinary Research Towards Eliminating Tropical Diseases", it will run together with the 60th Malaysian Society of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine Conference and the 10th Asean Congress of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology.
"Besides knowledge sharing and networking, the congress will contribute to global health where knowledge, insights and collaborations can be translated into practical solutions and interventions that address the challenges of tropical diseases in their respective regions.
"We are proud that Sarawak is facilitating global developments in this area of science and medicine," Dr Sim said.
International Federation of Tropical Medicine and Malaria president Prof Dr Malcolm Jones said Sarawak was a unique setting to study malaria and other tropical diseases due to its diverse ecosystem and varied malaria transmission patterns.
"This provides a range of tropical medicine dynamics for investigation," he said.
