Every year, World Malaria Day is celebrated on April 25 to raise awareness about the disease, prevention and control. Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease caused by Plasmodium parasites found predominantly in many tropical and subtropical countries. This day is also an opportunity to evaluate the progress achieved in the field of controlling malaria, as well as an opportunity to highlight the need to continue efforts and mobilise continued commitment to prevent and control malaria. In terms of results, the world has achieved historic progress in the field of combating malaria since the year 2000, which has contributed to saving the lives of millions of people. Despite this, half of the world’s population still lives at risk from this disease. Despite the seriousness of malaria and its threat to human lives, it should be emphasised that it is a disease that can be prevented and treated if countries pay the required attention to mechanisms and methods for combating the disease.
Introduction of Malaria
Malaria is an infectious disease caused by a parasitic organism called Plasmodium. The disease is transmitted by the female of a type of mosquito known as the Anopheles mosquito.
Time is an important factor in treating malaria. The earlier the disease is diagnosed, the easier the treatment will be so that complications are avoided. The symptoms of the disease are similar to many other diseases and are represented in (fever, headache, vomiting, nausea, tremors, sweating, joint pain), and the infection is diagnosed. The patient is diagnosed with the disease by taking a blood sample from the patient and examining it under a microscope in search of the malaria parasite to determine its type and density and then determine the type of treatment.
History Of Malaria & World Malaria Day
Malaria is one of the oldest and deadliest diseases. It has a history that spans thousands of years. Evidence of malaria is found in ancient texts and archaeological sites. In ancient times, malaria was often associated with marshy areas because the word “malaria” itself is derived from the Italian words “mal aria,” meaning “bad air,” and malaria is also caused by foul air and infected air. In 1880, the malarial parasite was identified by Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran, and in 1897, Ronald Ross discovered the role of mosquitoes in transmitting the disease. This is its exact history.
Since 2001, the African government has celebrated Africa Malaria Day every year to bring awareness among the people. In 2008, Africa Malaria Day was changed to World Malaria Day by the WHO(World Health Organisation). After WHO announced, World Malaria Day started celebrated on April 25th to highlight malaria prevention, treatment, and control, as well as the challenges that remain. Every year, WHO chooses a specific theme to celebrate World Malaria Day, primary focus on malaria prevention, access to treatment, research and innovation, and community engagement.
Significance Of World Malaria Day 2024
This Year the theme of World Malaria Day 2024 is Accelerating the fight against malaria for a more equitable world’. Miss Saima Wazed stated, “On World Malaria Day 2024, we unite under the theme ‘Accelerating the fight against malaria for a more equitable world”. This theme is in sync with this year’s World Health Day theme: “My Health, My Right”. This will focus on the urgent need to address the stark inequities that persist in access to malaria prevention, detection and treatment services. She is the WHO Regional Director for Southeast Asia and stated this theme on the official website of the World Health Organisation.
World Malaria Day holds immense significance in the global fight against malaria, serving as a platform to raise awareness, mobilise resources, and advocate for sustained efforts to control and eliminate the disease. But this year, the focus is on Everyone has the right to quality, timely and affordable malaria services.
It is important to ensure equitable access to malaria services for vulnerable populations such as refugees, migrants, internally displaced people (IDPs), indigenous communities and many more because they are higher at risk. It is important to achieve malaria control and elimination goals.
How Can We Prevent Malaria?
To prevent malaria, it is best to take precautions. Immediately get a malaria vaccination. Remember, the necessity to get vaccinated depends on the time of year, the country and the area. There is no treatment for malaria, you need to start prescribed drugs if you get infected.
Apart from considering the potential requirement for any of the drugs, there exist additional strategies to avert malaria once we reach the mosquito-inhabited area:
- Since mosquitoes typically bite between dusk and dawn, we need to be aware that at this time we will be more likely to be bitten.
- Try to dress that cover up your skin, like long T-shirts and jeans. Furthermore, since dark colours draw the attention of these insects, we must stay away from them.
- Invest in a high-quality insect repellant. Certain products are so effective that they can be administered directly to the skin because they were created especially for this function, and they also do not have an unpleasant smell.
- Make sure you sleep somewhere that keeps mosquitoes out. Although it can be challenging, employing a mosquito net and making sure that the windows and doors are securely closed will help. As for the final malaria prevention strategy, you can purchase mosquito nets that are designed to hang from the ceiling, covering us while we sleep and making life extremely difficult for mosquitoes.