Trending: Commemorating World Malaria Day

The day was established to provide education and understanding of malaria and spread information on year-long intensified implementation of national malaria-control strategies, including community-based activities for malaria prevention and treatment in endemic areas. The theme for this year’s commemoration is “End Malaria for Good”. 

Here are a few other facts about WMD: Commemorating World Malaria Day WMD is one of eight official global public health campaigns currently marked by the World Health Organization (WHO), along with World Health Day, World Blood Donor Day, World Immunization Week, World Tuberculosis Day, World No Tobacco Day, World Hepatitis Day and World AIDS Day. 

Globally, 3.3 billion people in 106 countries are at risk of malaria. In 2012, malaria caused an estimated 627,000 deaths, mostly among African children. Asia, Latin America, and to a lesser extent the Middle East and parts of Europe are also affected. 

India, alongside Ethiopia, Pakistan and Indonesia are liable for 80 percent of the total malaria cases globally and the country clutched the least budget for malaria control in the world. 95% of India’s population resides in malaria-endemic areas. 

What’s worse, more than 50,000 Indians die because of malaria every year. Reports from WHO state that every one in seven Indians is said to be at the risk of attaining malaria. Around 90 percent of the deaths in the country are observed in the remote and rural areas with Odisha recording the highest.