The prevalence of artemisinin resistant malaria in villages along the Thai-Cambodian border has been significantly reduced by a project that helps local people implement basic public health measures such as use of mosquito nets, behaviour change interventions, and free early diagnosis and treatment.

The two year pilot project, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and managed by the World Health Organization, began in April 2009 and has since trained more than 3000 village malaria workers. The workers educate villagers about malaria, are equipped to offer free diagnosis and treatment, and have distributed more than 500 000 chemical treated mosquito nets. Their reach extends over the …