World Malaria Day

World Malaria Day recognized by WHO on April 25 (previously African Malaria Day) to highlight investment and innovation.

It was established by WHO Member States during the 2007 World Health Assembly.
Theme for 2025: “Malaria Ends With Us: Reinvest, Reimagine, Reignite”

About Malaria Disease

World Malaria Day

Type of disease: Malaria is an infectious disease transmitted by female Anopheles mosquitoes and caused by plasmodium protozoa.
Prevalence: It poses a life-threatening risk, primarily affecting tropical and subtropical regions in Africa, South America, and Asia.
Cause: This disease is caused by plasmodium parasites, which spread through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.
- These parasites multiply initially in liver cells and then attack Red
Transmission: Not contagious; Cannot spread from one person to another
- Man does not develop immunity to malaria during natural infection.
Yaounde Declaration
- Species and Threat: Five parasite species cause malaria in humans, with Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax posing the most significant threat.

National Framework for Malaria Elimination (2016-2030)

Target: The Government of India set a target to eliminate malaria in India by 2027.
National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination for 5 years.
- Launched in 2017, It shifted focus from Malaria control to elimination.
- It provided a roadmap to end malaria in 571 districts out of India’s 678 districts by 2022.
Malaria Elimination Research Alliance-India (MERA-India)
- Established by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)
- It is a conglomeration of partners working on malaria control
India Achievement: India has achieved a reduction of over 83% in malaria morbidity and 92% in malaria mortality between the years 2000 and 2020.

Global Initiative:

WHO Global technical strategy for malaria 2016–2030, updated in 2021, provides a technical framework for all malaria-endemic countries.

It is a pledge to accelerate efforts to reduce malaria deaths and achieve a world where no one dies from malaria.
Signed by health ministers from 11 African countries in March 2024
Pledge: To sustainably and equitably address the threat of malaria in the African region, which accounts for 95% of malaria deaths globally.

Global burden:
- ~263 million affected annually (WHO World Malaria Report 2024).
- 600,000 deaths yearly; 94-95% in Africa.
- However, the mortality rate has decreased since the COVID-19 peak in 2020, which caused significant disruptions.
India’s Performance: India successfully exited the “High Burden to High Impact” (HBHI) initiative in 2024.
- Between 2017 and 2023, malaria cases in India dropped by 69% (from 6.4 million to 2 million), and deaths fell by 68% (from 11,100 to 3,500).
Advancements:
- Drugs: Quinine → Chloroquine → Artemisinin.
- Prevention: Insecticide-treated nets, indoor spraying, now vaccines (RTS,S and R21/Matrix-M vaccine).
Modern Challenges:
- Climate change, deforestation, stagnant waters increasing mosquito habitats.
- Malaria control now integrated into environmental impact assessments.

Additional Readings: World Malaria Report 2024

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