World Malaria Day - 2012

{¤}25 April 2012
On April 25th we observe World Malaria day, in hopes of highlighting the global effort to provide effective control of this terrible disease.

Malaria is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium, which is transmitted through the bite of an infected female mosquito. Once it enters the body, the parasite multiplies in the liver, and then infects red blood cells, causing fever, severe headache and other symptoms.  In some cases, the disease can progress to coma, and eventually death.  Ninety percent of malaria deaths occur in Sub-Saharan Africa, and 85 percent of the fatalities are children under five years old.

About half of the world's population, nearly 3.3 billion people, is at risk for malaria, primarily those living in developing countries.  In 2010, 216 million people become infected with the disease, and 655 thousand of them died.  And because malaria is a preventable killer, they died needlessly. People living in the poorest countries are the most vulnerable.

World Malaria Day - which was instituted by the World Health Assembly at its 60th session in May 2007 - is a day for recognizing the global effort to provide effective control of malaria. It is an opportunity:

    * for countries in the affected regions to learn from each other's experiences and support each other's efforts;
    * for new donors to join a global partnership against malaria;
    * for research and academic institutions to flag their scientific advances to both experts and general public; and
    * for international partners, companies and foundations to showcase their efforts and reflect on how to scale up what has worked.

The theme for World Malaria Day 2012 - "Sustain Gains, Save Lives: Invest in Malaria" - marks a decisive juncture in the history of malaria control. Whether the malaria map will keep shrinking, as it has in the past decade, or be reclaimed by the malaria parasites, depends, to a great extent, on the resources that will be invested in control efforts over the next years.

Investments in malaria control have created unprecedented momentum and yielded remarkable returns in the past years. In Africa, malaria deaths have been cut by one third within the last decade; outside of Africa, 35 out of the 53 countries, affected by malaria, have reduced cases by 50% in the same time period. In countries where access to malaria control interventions has improved most significantly, overall child mortality rates have fallen by approximately 20%.
Sustaining malaria control efforts is an investment in development. Continued investment in malaria control now will propel malaria-endemic countries toward near-zero deaths by 2015 and achieving the Millennium Development Goals, especially those relating to improving child survival and maternal health, eradicating extreme poverty and expanding access to education.

U.S. Congressman Chris Smith said, “The world has the tools to prevent and treat malaria. No one in the twenty-first century should have to suffer from it, let alone die from it.”

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Posted: at 25-04-2012 01:51 PM (12 years ago) | Hero

When I kill mosquitoes, I leave the dead bodies around for a couple of hours to show their friends, what I'm capable of.....

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Posted: at 25-04-2012 01:59 PM (12 years ago) | Hero