World Malaria Day 2022
In the old days, Malaria and Tuberculosis were considered lethal diseases. Thanks to progress in the medical field that made these diseases curable. Around 800,000 people die every year because of Malaria.
It is the second most dangerous disease that is affecting human health after tuberculosis. Malaria is a parasitic disease that is affecting people in 90 countries. People living in India, Brazil, the Solomon Islands, Africa, Vietnam, Colombia, and Sri Lanka. Four types of Malaria are caused and spread by the mosquito bites.
People living in sub-Saharan Africa are more prone to this disease. Therefore, ninety percent of Malaria cases came from this region, and it is the main cause of death in that region. Additionally, it is a great threat to child health. According to the rough estimate, every 30 seconds, a child dies of Malaria around the world.
Additionally, Pregnant women are also prey to this disease, it can be curable for them if it is diagnosed early. This disease also affects the economy of any country because a person who is ill can not go to work and can’t make a plan for traveling, thus affecting investment and tourism. Did you know that around 2,000 people in the UK are affected by this disease when they are abroad in a year, but now this disease is curable?
Symptoms of Malaria
To get well from this disease, it is important to detect it early. People can get well from this disease after a prolonged illness of 10-20 days. The symptoms of this disease include fever, headache, and pain in the entire body with a lack of energy. Don’t mix it with the symptoms of the flu. The main symptom of this disease is a high fever with chills.
The patient can face up and down the temperature after every two to four days. Symptoms of Malaria start appearing on the patient after six days when the mosquito has bitten. The developing period of the disease varies according to the parasite that the mosquito has. The nature of the parasite will depict whether the disease will be severe or mild. Not only children and old but young people can also die because of this disease. Malaria can affect the kidneys and brain and can result in anemia, coma, and death.
Cases of Malaria
As per the latest World Malaria Report, there were 241 million victims of Malaria in 2020 as compared to 227 million victims in 2019. Moreover, the projected number of Malaria deaths in 2020 was 627. It is a 69000 increase in the death toll as compared to the previous year. The World Health Organization proclaimed that seven countries in the world are free from Malaria.
The efforts to mitigate Malaria started from 1955 to 1972. At that time, 20 countries were declared free of Malaria. However, this disease recurred again in the era of 80, s and 90, s. The number of Malaria patients only dropped in four countries.
How can Malaria be limited?
Like other diseases, thorough research is being done on Malaria. The objective of this research is to develop a cheap vaccine. Unfortunately, no such vaccine was developed for general use. The spread of this disease can be reduced by destroying the trenches in which mosquitoes breed. If Malaria is detected at an early stage, then the person can cure easily. For this, the patient should have all the information about malaria.
Observing the World Malaria Day
World Malaria Day is observed on April 25 each year. It is celebrated to create awareness of this disease among the masses and to eradicate Malaria from the globe. This day was first observed in 2008 by Africa. The day was celebrated to assess the progress that is made to control malaria and reduce the death rate in African countries.
Malaria is present in more than 100 countries globally, leading to the death of thousands of people. However, you can control this disease while following precautionary measures like using indoor insecticide spray and using insecticide-treated bed nets. On the celebration of the first World Malaria Day, Ban ki-Moon, secretary-general of the United Nations highlighted the availability of medicines, bed nets, and trained medical staff in the Malaria affected areas.
World Malaria Day, 2022
World Malaria Day 2022 will be celebrated under the theme of Harness innovation to reduce the malaria disease burden and save lives. At present, there is no such tool that can eradicate Malaria. For this reason, WHO is calling for investments and innovations that can provide a new path for the control of this ailment and provides diagnostic approaches and anti-malarial medicines to increase the efforts against Malaria.
The WHO was working swiftly in mitigating the global burden of malaria from 2000 to 2015. However, these efforts were slowed down in recent years in the high-prone countries for Malaria. Now is the time to make the world come to track so that WHO can achieve the targets of 2030.
On this day, research institutions and international agencies come together to discuss the progress of the Global Malaria Action Plan. In addition to it, scientists and organizations get a chance to discuss the disease and prevailing research efforts. They can create this awareness in people through educational programs, charity shows, and other community functions.
Malaria Vaccine RTS, S
RTS, S is the name of the Malaria vaccine. The WHO recommended the use of the RTS, S malaria vaccine for kids that live in areas where transmission of this disease is high to moderate. The recommendation was also levied on the ongoing WHO-coordinated pilot program in Malawi, Kenya, and Ghana.
Therefore, they reached more than 900, 000 children. The experience and evidence of the program showed that the vaccine is safe and easy to use and saves people from this deadly disease. RTS, S is scientific innovation work. You will be surprised to know that RTS, S is the first vaccine that can be used for human parasitic diseases.
Reaching the Far-off Areas
You must be wondering how to reach the communities where there are no healthcare facilities. For such cases, WHO is asking the local workers to go village to village to educate the people about the risks of Malaria and how to prevent it.
Malaria Eradication in the Western Pacific
Did you know that China has been a Malaria free country since 2017? Therefore, it was given the certification as a Malaria-free zone in 2021. Two countries that used to be a victim of Malaria have reported less than 1000 people suffering from it. These two countries are Vanuatu and the Republic of Korea. Malaysia also had zero cases of malaria for three consecutive years however it is reported that there were 2600 victims of P knowlesi. (zoonotic malaria).
Wrapping Up
Let’s celebrate Malaria Day with frivolous enthusiasm and decide on that day that we will come up with medical innovations to combat malaria. We will use tools to prevent people from this disease. In addition to it, we will provide information about the disease in the areas where healthcare services are not available. In this way, we will surely defeat this disease. Malaria day also mitigates the gap between doctors and researchers. They come up together on this day to discuss the current ailment situation.
