World Malaria Day | 25 Apr 2020

• It is celebrated on 25^th April every year, to highlight the need for continued investment and sustained political commitment for malaria prevention and control.
  
  • Malaria is preventable as well as curable.
• Theme for 2020: “Zero malaria starts with me”
  
  • It is a grassroots campaign that aims to keep malaria high on the political agenda, mobilize additional resources, and empower communities to take ownership of malaria prevention and care.
• The World Health Organisation (WHO) releases the World Malaria Report.
  
  • The 2019 report showed no global gains in reducing new infections over the period 2014 to 2018.
• High burden to high impact: It is a new approach to get the malaria fight back on track, particularly in countries that carry the highest burden of disease. It is founded on 4 pillars:
  
  • Political will to reduce malaria deaths.
  • Strategic information to drive impact.
  • Better guidance, policies and strategies.
  • A coordinated national malaria response.
• WHO officially endorses disease-specific global awareness days for only four diseases including malaria:
  
  • 1^st December- World AIDS Day.
  • 24^th March- World Tuberculosis Day.
  • 28^th July- World Hepatitis Day.