Malaria merupakan masalah kesehatan utama di propinsi Papua. Meluasnya penyebaran parasit malaria dan penanganan program malaria yang tidak teratur serta diikuti adanya krisis ekonomi dan perselisihan di masyarakat Papua pada akhir tahun 1990an telah mengakibatkan situasi malaria di daerah Papua semakin terpuruk. Untuk menentukan besaran permasalahan malaria saat ini, suatu survei malariometrik telah dilakukan di tiga Kecamatan di Kabupaten Jayapura serta uji sensitifitas obat antimalaria sulfadoksin-pirimetamin (SP) pada pasien malaria di unit rawat jalan RSU Abepura, Puskesmas Hamadi dan Poliklinik Panti Asuhan Katolik Sentani, Kabupaten Jayapura, Propinsi Papua. Pada survei malariometrik, dari 543 subyek yang diperiksa, ditemukan 185 subyek terinfeksi malaria P.falciparum, dan P.vivax serta infeksi campuran keduanya. Seluruh kasus malaria yang ditemukan merupakan kasus tanpa gejala (asimtomatik). Pada uji sensitifitas obat antimalaria dengan SP, dari 56 subyek yang diikutsertakan, ditemukan 32 subyek mengalami kegagalan pengobatan dini (KPD) dan 2 subyek mengalami kegagalan pengobatan kasep (KPK) serta 22 subyek berhasil pada pengobatan ini. Hasil-hasil di atas menunjukkan bahwa prevalensi malaria di Kabupaten Jayapura serta angka kegagalan pengobatan SP cukup tinggi dan oleh karena itu diperlukan adanya obat antimalaria baru yang sesuai dengan keadaan pada daerah tersebut.

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Abstract
Malaria poses a major public health problem in Papua. The rapid spread of drug-resistant parasites and deterioration of the malaria control program following the monetary crisis and civil strife in the late 90?es have worsened the malaria situation in many areas of Papua. To re-assess the current magnitude of malaria problem, a malariometric survey was conducted in three sub-districts of Jayapura District, as well as antimalarial drug sensitivity test using sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) at the outpatient clinics of Abepura General Hospital (RSU), Hamadi Primary Health Center and Panti Asuhan Katolik Clinics, Sentani, Jayapura District, Papua Province. Screening of 543 subjects in three sub-districts revealed 185 malaria positive subjects, either with P. falciparum, P. vivax or mixed of the two species. All of the malaria cases were asymptomatic. In the SP drug sensitivity test, of the 56 subjects involved, 32 were classified as early treatment failure and two subjects were classified as late treatment failure. The remaining 22 subjects were classified as adequate clinical and parasitological response (ACPR). These results indicated that the surveyed area has a high malaria prevalence and treatment failure to SP and therefore alert to the need of deploying new antimalarial regiment that suit the remote setting.