World Malaria Day

Today April 25th is World Malaria Day, spearheaded by the Roll Back Malaria campaign, which was launched in 1998 by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank. Malaria continues to kill more than a million people every year, mostly children, and remains an endemic in 107 countries and territories according to UNICEF. The them of this years World Malaria Day is, "a disease without borders".

In a press release UNICEF called for stronger action against malaria, as Executive Director Ann M. Veneman, stated:

"It is unacceptable that malaria still kills more than one million people, mostly children, every year. Malaria is a curable and preventable disease that can be controlled by increasing the use of mosquito nets and other proven interventions, as part of integrated, community-based programmes."

UN urges world to help Africa fight malaria, as United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon marked World Malaria Day Friday by launching a new campaign drive, which is aimed at all African nations, which he claimed those countries where the disease is heavily concentrated, are well behind. “We have the resources and the know-how, but we have less than 1,000 days before the end of 2010,” he stated with urgency. The campaign aims to see that sufficient supplies of mosquito nets or high-quality household sprays by the end of 2010.

In recent malaria news, Sir Lanka, who is close to malaria elimination, with only 196 cases and no deaths from malaria in 2007. However while on the verge of elimination, the battle is not one to be taken lightly as government authorities and NGOs warn that “vigilance” is a must, if the eradication of the disease is to continue, especially due to the high level of vulnerability amongst the majority of the population.

Fighting malaria in children is a costly expense, one that many parents cannot bare, leaving children to suffer the consequences of the deadly disease. According to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), malaria is the leading cause of death for children under five in the Congo, with some 21,000 child deaths each year. However drives to distribute treated bed nets continue to have a great impact in the reduction of child deaths. Much more needs to be done in the Congo, and many other developing nations where the cost of anti-malaria treatments continue to remain out of reach for parents.

In Sierra Leone villagers battle malaria in their communities, by administering free malaria testing and providing treatments in those rural areas where the healthcare system has thus far been unable to cope with such needs. While in the Philippines’ the malaria battle advances, as authorities declared 22 of 81 provinces have remained malaria free over the last five years.

As in all the for mentioned countries, the fight over malaria is far from over on many countries, as obstacles remain in the effort to see that global eradication is met by 2010, including economic hurdles, traditional beliefs, population movements and limited access to rural areas.