World Malaria Day is celebrated every year on April 25 to promote actions to put an end to malaria. World Health Organisation (WHO) continues to call for greater investment and expanded coverage of proven tools that prevent, diagnose and treat malaria.
This year’s theme is Ready to beat malaria. This theme underscores the collective energy and commitment of the global malaria community in uniting the common goal of a world free of malaria.
It highlights the remarkable progress achieved in tackling one of humanity’s oldest diseases, while also calling out worrying trends as reported in the World malaria report, 2017.
This year, the day coincides with an year-long series of activities to commemorate the 70th anniversary of WHO.
Malaria is a public health problem in India with the majority of cases reported from eastern and central part of the country and from states which have forest, hilly and tribal areas.
These states include Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and some north-eastern states like Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram. In India, malaria cases have consistently declined from Rs 2.08 million in 2001 to about Rs 8.4 lakhs in 2017.
Directorate of National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) is the central nodal agency for the prevention and control of vector borne diseases including malaria and other VBDs (dengue, lymphatic filariasis, kala-azar, Japanese encephalitis and chikungunya) in India.
The National Strategic Plan (NSP)has been developed by NVBDCP, ministry of health and family welfare, Government of India with the support of WHO to provide a road map for making India malaria free by 2027.
Twitter: @NHPINDIA