Focus: GS II- Health
Why in News?
Every year, 25th April is observed as ‘World Malaria Day’. This year’s theme is “Harness innovation to reduce the global malaria disease burden and save lives.”
About Malaria
- The Malaria is a leading cause of human morbidity and mortality.
- Despite huge progress in tackling the disease, there are still 212 million new cases of malaria and 430,000 malaria-related deaths worldwide each year according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
- The Malaria is caused by the Plasmodium parasite.
- The parasite can be spread to humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes.
- There are many different types of plasmodium parasite, but only 5 types cause malaria in humans.
- The Children under the age of 5 and pregnant women are most susceptible to the disease.
- The severity of malaria varies based on the species of plasmodium.
- The Symptoms are chills, fever and sweating, usually occurring a few weeks after being bitten.
About Government of India Initiatives to Reduce Malaria.
- The India’s progress in fighting malaria is an outcome of concerted efforts to ensure that its malaria programme is country-owned and country-led, even as it is in alignment with globally accepted strategies.
- At the East Asia Summit in 2015, India pledged to eliminate the disease by 2030.
- Following this public declaration, India launched the five-year National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination.
- This marked a shift in focus from malaria “control” to “elimination”.
- The plan provides a roadmap to achieve the target of ending malaria in 571 districts out of India’s 678 districts by 2022.
