Thailand

Located in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), Thailand became a signatory of the APLMA roadmap in 2015. The country hosted the 2^nd and 5^th APLMA Senior Officials’ Meetings in 2016 and 2019 respectively.

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Thailand currently faces a spike in malaria cases along the Thai-Myanmar border due to the breakdown of health services in Myanmar stemming from the difficult political situation. In addition to intensifying efforts to tackle the rise in border cases, Thailand’s current priorities include PoR planning as well as the integration of malaria services into the general health system.  

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Thailand is part of the Regional Artemisinin-resistance Initiative (RAI), a special multi-country award from the Global Fund which aims to accelerate malaria elimination in the GMS, including drug-resistant P. falciparum malaria. Like other countries in the GMS, Thailand also faces the challenges of an increasing proportion of P. vivax malaria.

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Currently among the countries making up 1% of the Asia Pacific’s malaria burden, Thailand aims to eliminate all species of malaria by 2026 – by first eliminating P. falciparum by 2025, with subsequent elimination of remaining species a year later. However, this target is currently under revision, given the complex geo-political situation in Myanmar which has serious consequences for malaria in Thailand and Bangladesh as well.

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