25th April – World Malaria Day
Author and institutional affiliation: Yasiini Nuwamanya, Uganda Public Health Fellowship Program, Uganda National Institute of Public Health, Kampala. Correspondence: Tel: 256773120564, Email: ynuwamanya@uniph.go.ug
On 25th April, every year was designated by World Health Organization Member States during the World Health Assembly of 2007.
The commemoration is intended to raise community awareness and highlight the need for continued investment and sustained political commitment for malaria prevention and control. Malaria is a preventable disease caused by parasites transmitted through bites by female anopheles mosquitoes.
In 2022, there were an estimated 249 million malaria cases and 608,000 deaths globally mainly in Africa, Uganda inclusive. Eight in every 10 malaria deaths occur in children under the age of 5 years.
Malaria can be prevented by avoiding mosquito bites and by taking medicines.
The ministry of health thus encourages people to sleep under insecticide mosquito nets, and always visit the nearest health facility for malaria testing and treatment services within 24 hours of developing fever among other measures.
