World Malaria Day 2011

The push for malaria control and elimination has come a long way since the inception of Malaria Consortium in 2003. We have been working across sub-Saharan Africa and Asia to help alleviate the human burden caused by this entirely preventable and treatable disease and we are proud to have played a significant role in the global successes that have been achieved.

However, with 2,000 young children still dying every day from the disease, there is still a long way to go and as World malaria Day 2011 approaches, it is time to review the challenges ahead:

• Stand alone malaria prevention interventions like the mass distribution of long-lasting insecticidal nets deliver immediate results which are easy to measure, but how will these nets be replaced when they wear out in three years? Stronger national health systems and private sector suppliers need to be able to step up.

• Financial support for malaria interventions are the highest they have ever been, but there is concern that the slightest drop off will have a rapid and negative impact on the results achieved so far. Economic constriction in donor countries makes this threat very real.

• In terms of treatment, accurate diagnosis of febrile illness at a community level is a critical element in the continued control of malaria. As the number of cases drops, the traditional assumption that fever in a child equals malaria is less and less accurate and inaccurate diagnosis and treatment brings additional problems.

• There is the ongoing threat of parasite resistance to the only effective drug for severe malaria  (artemisinin combination therapies) which needs urgent attention in Southeast Asia to prevent its spread to endemic countries in sub-Saharan Africa.  

On this World Malaria Day, Malaria Consortium reaffirms its commitment to the fight against malaria and its eventual elimination and invites those who also want to see an end to these appalling and preventable deaths to join the fight.

There are many ways you can help:

Individuals:

 Buy our iPhone Game for just 59p and squish some virtual mosquitoes
Make a one-off donation to Malaria Consortium
Hold an event or do a sponsored activity

Businesses or organisations:

Become a corporate sponsor or make us your organisational charity

It takes so little to save a life.

You can also visit the World Malaria Day website to find out more.

The World Malaria Day website was established in 2009, and helps individuals and civil society contribute to the achievement of the Global Malaria Action Plan goals, through the establishment of a dynamic and interactive information and advocacy portal.

It aims to help inform, educate, mobilise and stimulate the highest possible number of stakeholders - to share best practice, successes, and the most informative and interesting information on malaria, to contribute news and events on World Malaria Day to act as a springboard for mobilisation around the issue and how we can work to combat it.

Until now, there has not been a medium through which civil society groups could share their work and disseminate their messages on malaria treatment and prevention on and around World Malaria Day - this website allows everyone working against the spread of malaria to come together in one place.

For more information, please contact Diana Thomas, d.thomas@malariaconsortium.org.