World Malaria Day [25th April]

World Malaria Day is a WHO-recognized observation held annually on 25th April. Malaria is one of the top deadliest diseases in the world, affecting nearly 40% of global people of all age groups in the last two decades. World Malaria Day is observed to raise awareness about this disease and encourage people to take the necessary precaution.

Thousands of people still lose their lives to malaria every year. In fact, various animals fall prey to this deadly disease too. You will be shocked to know that the spreader of this deadly disease is none other than tiny mosquitos. Learn more about the World Malaria Day theme, history and significance here.

World Malaria Day 2023

World Health Organization Member States established World Malaria Day in 2007 with the aim of designating a special day to highlight the plight that this widespread disease brings. Even though this disease can be fully treated, the bad news is that antimalarial drugs are becoming less effective as years pass by. Plus, not every country is equipped well enough to treat this disease properly. Malaria Day is one of the eleven global health campaigns initiated by the World Health Organization.

Infection prevention is a better strategy for having a world free from malaria. For effective prevention, we need to spread awareness worldwide to reach the zero malaria target one day, and the sole purpose of celebrating World Malaria Day is precisely that. Find a brief overview of the day here:

World Malaria Day 2022 Theme

World Malaria Day focuses on a particular theme each year since its establishment on 25th April 2007. Having a theme maximizes the efforts to raise awareness to prevent, control, and eliminate this fatal disease. The first-ever theme for this day was Malaria: a disease without borders.

The World Malaria Day 2022 theme was "Harness innovation to reduce the malaria disease burden and save lives." Due to the theme, it was a successful year of spreading awareness against malaria worldwide. Check out the previous year's Malaria Day theme below:

History of Malaria Day

The history of World Malaria Day can be traced back to 2007 when the World Health Organization established the day during the 60th World Health Assembly session. However, prior to when this day was established, Africa already had Africa Malaria Day, celebrated for the same cause, on the same date, established in 2001.

Although Malaria is not a deadly disease, people still lose their lives to this disease. World Malaria Day is celebrated across the world on 25th April to spread awareness about malaria and take steps for its prevention. In the year 2007, WHO (World Health Organisation), in their 60th session of the World Health Assembly, proposed Africa Malaria Day be changed to World Malaria Day. This decision was made because the spread of malaria is almost as much as Africa in many other regions, and doing this will help spread awareness worldwide.

About Malaria disease:

• Plasmodium-infected female Anopheles mosquitoes are the spreaders of malaria, and they transmit this disease through mosquito bites.
• When an infected female Anopheles mosquito bites a person, the parasites enter the bloodstream from the spreader's saliva.
• At first, it feels like a regular mosquito bite, but the infection becomes noticeable after a week or two.
• The usual symptoms include fever, fatigue, body aches, sweating, headaches, nausea, and vomiting. If things get serious, it can lead to yellow fever, coma, seizures, and even death.
• This disease has the highest spread rate in tropical regions and countries with humid climates, such as Asia, Africa, and Latin America. This is because of high temperature and continuous rainfall that leaves standing bodies of water as the perfect environment for the breeding of mosquitoes.

World Malaria Day Objective

The sole objective behind the celebration of World Malaria Day is spreading awareness against this deadly disease and taking urgent actions for the control and prevention of the same. The idea behind the celebration of this day was developed from Africa Malaria Day. As the rate of malaria is higher in Africa compared to other regions, the African government has been observing Africa Malaria Day since 2001.

On World Malaria Day, WHO and partners celebrate the achievements and precautions that different countries take each year in order to eliminate malaria. Other than that, they also provide useful information on how each person can contribute to eliminating malaria by keeping their households and surroundings clean. The WHO officials have decided to celebrate World Malaria Day 2022 in Paris, where a series of activities will be held throughout the city to raise awareness.

FAQs on World Malaria Day

Q1. When is World Malaria Day celebrated?

World Malaria Day is celebrated on 25th April each year to raise awareness about Malaria, its causes, symptoms, and prevention. This day was established by the World Health Organization in 2007 during the World Health Assembly.

Q2. What was the World Malaria Day 2022 theme?

Each year, the World Health Organization announces a new theme for Malaria Day. World Malaria Day theme 2022 was "Harness innovation to reduce the malaria disease burden and save lives."

Q3. Who founded World Malaria Day?

World Malaria Day was founded by the World Health Organization after taking inspiration from Africa Malaria Day. World Malaria Day was officially celebrated on 25th April 2007 for the first time to raise awareness about the disease.

Q4. What is malaria?

Malaria is one of the top deadliest diseases caused by mosquito bites, affecting nearly 40% of people of all age groups worldwide in the last two decades. To spread awareness about this disease, World Malaria Day is celebrated each year on 25th April.