• The World Health Organisation (WHO) observes World Malaria Day on April 25 annually.

• It is an occasion to highlight the need for continued investment and sustained political commitment for malaria prevention and control.

• On World Malaria Day, the WHO is calling for revitalised efforts at all levels, from global policy to community action, to accelerate progress towards malaria elimination.

• World Malaria Day 2025, under the theme “Malaria ends with us: reinvest, reimagine, reignite” is calling for stepped up political and financial commitment to protect the hard-won gains against malaria.

• In the late 1990s, world leaders laid the foundation for remarkable progress in global malaria control, including preventing more than two billion cases of malaria and nearly 13 million deaths since 2000.

• To date, WHO has certified 45 countries and one territory as malaria-free, and many countries with a low burden of malaria continue to move steadily towards the goal of elimination. Of the remaining 83 malaria-endemic countries, 25 reported fewer than 10 cases of the disease in 2023.

• The large-scale rollout of malaria vaccines in Africa is expected to save tens of thousands of young lives every year.

Progress against malaria under threat

• Despite significant gains, malaria remains a major public health challenge, with nearly six lakh lives lost to the disease in 2023 alone. 

• The African Region is hardest hit, shouldering an estimated 95 per cent of the malaria burden each year.

• In many areas, progress has been hampered by fragile health systems and rising threats such as drug and insecticide resistance. Many at-risk groups continue to miss out on the services they need to prevent, detect and treat malaria. Climate change, conflict, poverty and population displacement are compounding these challenges.

• WHO recently warned that the 2025 funding cuts could further derail progress in many endemic countries, putting millions of additional lives at risk. Of the 64 WHO Country Offices in malaria-endemic countries that took part in a recent WHO stocktake assessment, more than half reported moderate or severe disruptions to malaria services.

• Addressing current challenges in global malaria control will also require a reimagined response through innovative tools, strategies and partnerships. 

• New and more effective antimalarial drugs are needed, as well as advancements in service delivery, diagnostics, insecticides, vaccines and vector control methods.

Some facts on malaria:

• Malaria is a life-threatening disease spread to humans by some types of mosquitoes. It is mostly found in tropical countries. It is preventable and curable, and does not spread from person to person.

• It is caused by Plasmodium parasites. The parasites are spread to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes, called “malaria vectors”. 

• There are five parasite species that cause malaria in humans, and two of these species – Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax – pose the greatest threat. 

• Malaria mostly spreads to people through the bites of some infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. Blood transfusion and contaminated needles may also transmit malaria. 

• The first symptoms — fever, headache, and chills — may be mild and difficult to recognise as malaria. If not treated within 24 hours, P. falciparum malaria can progress to severe illness, often leading to death.

• Symptoms usually start within 10-15 days of getting bitten by an infected mosquito.

• Symptoms may be mild for some people, especially for those who have had a malaria infection before. Because some malaria symptoms are not specific, getting tested early is important. 

• Some types of malaria can cause severe illness and death. 

• Infants, children under 5 years, pregnant women, travellers and people with HIV or AIDS are at higher risk. 

Severe symptoms include:

i) Extreme tiredness and fatigue. 

ii) Impaired consciousness

iii) Multiple convulsions

iv) Difficulty breathing

v) Dark or bloody urine

vi) Jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin) 

vii) Abnormal bleeding.

• Malaria can be prevented by avoiding mosquito bites and by taking medicines.

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