Door-to-Door Malaria Screening: Dozens of Combined Health Cadres Conduct a Mass Blood Survey in Enggros Village

MALARIA PERDHAKI—JAYAPURA. Jayapura City's commitment to malaria elimination continues to be strengthened through concrete action in the field. On Tuesday (July 21, 2026), the Jayapura City Health Office Malaria Task Force, together with SSR YDHP 2, Abe Pantai Community Health Center (Puskesmas), and the Enggros Village Government, conducted a Mass Blood Survey (MBS) in Enggros Village.

Enggros Village has a very low malaria incidence and has officially been declared a malaria-free village. Nevertheless, conducting an MBS in Enggros Village remains essential because it aims to detect malaria parasites as early as possible, prevent the introduction of imported cases, and identify asymptomatic parasite carriers before they can trigger renewed malaria transmission.

The MBS involved 26 Village Malaria Worker (Juru Malaria Desa/JMD) cadres from five community health centers (Puskesmas), cadre supervisors who also serve as the Malaria Program Officers at Abe Pantai Community Health Center, pharmacy personnel, the Head of Administration of Abe Pantai Community Health Center, as well as the Malaria Program Officer and cadre supervisors from North Jayapura Community Health Center.

The activity began with a team briefing and a shared lunch on the shores of Ciberry Beach. After being divided into four groups, the entire team crossed to Enggros Village by speedboat from Ciberry Beach, a journey of approximately 10 minutes. Shortly after arriving, the teams immediately began conducting comprehensive house-to-house blood screenings without exception. Everyone—from infants to older adults—was included in the screening.

After completing the door-to-door survey, the team successfully collected and examined 382 blood samples. Among all the samples, they identified two asymptomatic cases of Plasmodium vivax (tertian malaria). Medical personnel immediately provided antimalarial medication and instructed the patients to begin taking it regularly.

Based on the patients' travel histories, the investigation concluded that the two cases were not locally transmitted. Both individuals had traveled outside Enggros Village within the previous 14 days. In addition, no mosquito breeding sites were identified in Enggros based on environmental mapping and larval surveys, as the village is built on stilts above the sea.

The findings were presented by Agus Triyanto, Malaria Program Officer of the Jayapura City Health Office, together with Ernesto Y. Natylo, Program Manager of SSR YDHP 2, during a meeting with village officials, including Aser Semra, who also serves as the Head of the Enggros Village Malaria Team.

During the meeting, the Health Office emphasized that there is no local malaria transmission in Enggros Village. The detected cases were purely imported, resulting from the high mobility of residents, as Enggros is a popular tourist destination that is frequently visited by travelers.

Aser Semra confirmed this assessment. He further explained that although Enggros Village has a registered population of more than 1,400 people, only 400 to 500 residents actually live in the village. The remainder reside outside Enggros for work or higher education.

On this occasion, Agus Triyanto recommended that the village establish a Malaria Screening Post at the entrance to Ciberry Beach due to the high risk of imported malaria cases. The screening post is expected to identify visitors and returning residents who may have contracted malaria outside the village.

After returning from Enggros Village, the team continued malaria screening among visitors at Ciberry Beach. There, they detected two additional positive cases of Plasmodium vivax malaria in symptomatic individuals.