When is World Malaria Day?
World Malaria Day occurs on April 25th.
What is World Malaria Day?
Mosquitos are annoying. The welt, the itch, and the mere thought of aerial, parasitic bloodsuckers extracting our blood—our blood!—irritate us. But for some people, mosquitoes are more than annoying. They’re deadly. World Malaria Day raises awareness and support in the fight to end malaria.
While mosquitos spread the disease, they don’t create it. These bugs actually contract a bug of their own. A little protozoan parasite called a Plasmodium flourishes in warm, humid climates with lots of rain. It hitches rides on mosquitoes, birds, all sorts of animals, spreading malaria along the way.
Humans get malaria when infected mosquitoes bite them. One way to stop this parasitic ride-share program is to use mosquito nets, so many malaria prevention efforts involve distributing these nets. Bug spray keeps the skeeters away too. Antimalarial drugs are partially effective, but that depends on many factors.
There’s a cure for malaria. Without proper treatment though, it can be fatal. World Malaria Day spreads the word about prevention measures and raises funds to get the right drugs to doctors on the frontlines of this fight.
Fun facts about World Malaria Day!
- We’re making progress! The WHO declared Uzbekistan malaria free on December 7, 2018. That brought the global number to 36 malaria-free countries.
- In 2017, there were 219 million cases of malaria around the world, and 435,000 people did not survive the disease.
- India and 10 African countries see 70% of the world’s malaria cases.
How to celebrate World Malaria Day:
- Attend an educational activity or event about malaria.
- Donate to malaria prevention organizations to support the fight against this disease.
What’s the hashtag for World Malaria Day?
Raise awareness about malaria on social media with #WorldMalariaDay and #EndMalaria.