World Malaria Day is celebrated on 25 April every year with an aim to raise awareness about the disease and the impact malaria has globally. It also helps people take efforts to control and prevent the spread of the disease.
World Malaria day was first established in 2007 by the World Health Organization (WHO), which also marks the date of the adoption of the WHO’s Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016-2030.
Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by the Plasmodium parasite and it is transmitted from person to person through the bites of infected mosquitoes. According to the WHO, malaria caused about 229 million cases and 409,000 deaths worldwide in 2019, with most of the cases occurring in sub-Saharan Africa.
Let's know about the history, theme, and significance of World Malaria Day 2023.
World Malaria Day 2023: Theme
The theme for World Malaria Day 2023 is “Time to deliver zero malaria: invest, innovate, implement”.
World Malaria Day 2023: History & Significance
The story of World Malaria Day goes back to 2000 when the African Summit on Roll Back Malaria was held in Abuja, Nigeria. The focus of the summit was to reduce the burden of malaria in Africa by half by 2010. However, the progress was slow and malaria remained a major public health challenge globally.
Thus, the WHO launched the Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016-2030, focusing on reducing malaria cases and deaths by 90% by 2030. WHO declared 25 April as the day for World Malaria day to raise awareness about the importance of this strategy and to encourage global action.
World Malaria Day aims to draw attention to the global impact of malaria and to mobilize efforts to control and prevent its spread. This day is a reminder that despite the progress made in recent years, malaria remains a major public health challenge in various parts of the world.
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