World Malaria Day 2019 25/04/2019 – Posted in: Daily News

World Malaria Day

For: Preliminary
Topics Covered: Malaria disease, preventions

News Flash

This year’s World Malaria Day, being observed on April 25, has the theme ‘Zero malaria starts with me’.

According to the Health Department, both indigenous and imported malaria cases are being reported in Kozhikode in the past few years.

The presence of Anopheles mosquitoes that spread the disease has been confirmed in the State, and there have been deaths owing to cerebral malaria too.

Malaria remains one of the world’s leading killers, claiming the life of one child every two minutes. Most of these deaths are in Africa, where more than 250 000 children die from the disease every year. Children under 5 are at greatest risk of its life-threatening complications. Worldwide, malaria kills 435 000 people a year, most of them children.

Urgent action is needed to get the global response to malaria back on track – and ownership of the challenge lies in the hands of countries most affected by malaria. On World Malaria Day 2019, WHO joins the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, the African Union Commission and other partner organizations in promoting “Zero malaria starts with me,,” a grassroots campaign that aims to keep malaria high on the political agenda, mobilize additional resources, and empower communities to take ownership of malaria prevention and care.

WHO welcomes the Government of Malawi’s launch of the world’s first malaria vaccine today in a landmark pilot programme. The country is the first of three in Africa in which the vaccine, known as RTS,S, will be made available to children up to 2 years of age; Ghana and Kenya will introduce the vaccine in the coming weeks.

Source: The Hindu