World Malaria Day ― Date, History, and Details
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History of World Malaria Day and How to Celebrate/ Observe It
World Malaria Day is an international observance commemorated every year on April 25 to raise awareness of the global effort to control and eventually eliminate malaria. The day also serves as a reminder of the burden that malaria continues to place on communities in endemic countries.
Malaria is a preventable and treatable disease caused by a parasite that is transmitted to people through the bites of infected mosquitoes. It is a leading cause of death and disease in many developing countries, particularly in Africa.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there were an estimated 216 million cases of malaria worldwide in 2016, and 445,000 deaths. Most of these deaths were in children under the age of 5 years.
In 2015, WHO launched the Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016-2030, which sets out a vision for eliminating malaria and reducing the disease’s burden. One of the key targets of this strategy is to reduce malaria mortality rates by at least 90% by 2030.
World Malaria Day was first observed in May 2007. The theme for 2018 is “Ready to beat malaria”.