WORLD MALARIA DAY

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Context - The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare organized events to mark World Malaria Day 2022 on 25th April.

Details

• Every year, the 25th of April is observed as World Malaria Day.
  • This year’s theme is “Harness innovation to reduce the global malaria disease burden and save lives.”
• The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare has stated that “with diagnosis and treatment, maintaining Swachhta in our personal and community surroundings and social awareness regarding Malaria control and prevention are also equally important in our collective fight against Malaria and for meeting our goal of elimination of Malaria from the country by 2030”.
• He highlighted the need to strengthen the health care delivery system and improve multi-sectoral coordination and collaboration.
• Every year, the 25th of April is observed as World Malaria Day. This year’s theme is “Harness innovation to reduce the global malaria disease burden and save lives.”

About Malaria

• Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals.
• Malaria is caused by parasites known as Plasmodium vivax. It is transmitted by the infective bite of the female Anopheles
• The symptoms typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches.
  • In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death.
• The risk of disease can be lowered by containing mosquito bites through the use of mosquito nets and insect repellents and with mosquito-control measures such as spraying insecticides and draining standing water.
• There is one vaccine which has been shown to reduce the risk of malaria by about 40% in children in Africa. Efforts to develop more effective vaccines are ongoing.
• Quinine is the common medicine used to treat malaria.
• The disease is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions. This includes much of sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
• In 2020 there were 241 million cases of malaria worldwide resulting in an estimated 627,000 deaths.
  • Approximately 95% of the cases and deaths occurred in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Rates of disease have decreased from 2010 to 2014 but increased from 2015 to 2020.

Way Forward

• Prioritization of malaria elimination through national and sub-national efforts.
• Technology and innovation will help in developing solutions to advance India’s malaria elimination plan and contribute to improved health, quality of life and alleviation of poverty.
• Ground-level frontline healthcare workers need to work as a team for creating mass awareness about diagnosis, timely and effective treatment and vector control measures.
• India has made remarkable progress in reducing malaria incidence and deaths.
  • 45% decline in malaria cases and 79.16% reduction in malaria-related deaths in 2021 as compared to 2015.
  • 124 districts in the country have reported ‘zero malaria cases’’.
• Many steps have been taken toward the goal of the elimination of malaria but still more work needs to be done to fulfil the dream of Malaria Free India by 2030.

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