World Malaria Day (WMD) was observed on 25 April 2015. The theme for the 2013-2015 campaign is Invest in the Future. Defeat Malaria.
The day is observed to recognise the global efforts to control malaria. It is an occasion to highlight the need for continued investment and sustained political commitment for malaria control and elimination.
World Malaria Day was instituted by World Health Organization (WHO) Member States during the 2007 World Health Assembly.
On the occasion of the 2015 World Malaria Day (WMD), WHO called on the global health community to urgently address significant gaps in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of malaria.
Challenge of Malaria
- In its report, WHO said that malaria cases and deaths have significantly declined since 2000, but more than a million lives are still lost to this preventable disease each year.
- At least three quarters of malaria deaths occur in children under 5.
WHO’s initiative
- WMD is one of eight official global public health campaigns currently marked by the World Health Organization (WHO)
- Other such campaigns are:
- World Health Day
- World Blood Donor Day
- World Immunization Week
- World Tuberculosis Day
- World No Tobacco Day
- World Hepatitis Day
- World AIDS Day
