April 2022 Parenta magazine

World Malaria Day
April 25th is World Malaria Day, an
annual event which takes place across
the world to raise awareness about
malaria and how it can be prevented. It
aims to celebrate the progress that has
been made towards eradicating this
life-threatening disease and highlight the
ongoing need for resources and funding to
continue the fight. The World Malaria Day
2022 theme is “Zero Malaria – Draw the
line against malaria.”
What is malaria?
Malaria is a serious infectious disease that
is spread by certain types of mosquitos
(female anopheles mosquitoes) and
affects tropical and subtropical regions. It
is curable with anti-malaria drugs but in
many regions of the world, where quick
access to medical attention is limited,
it can be fatal, especially for pregnant
women and children. Malaria is not found
in the UK or Europe but around the world,
a child dies every 2 minutes from malaria.
People infected with malaria can feel
severe flu-like symptoms with a fever
(high temperature) and headache. It can
cause muscle pain and vomiting as well
as sweats and chills, and if these are
untreated, it can lead to organ failure
and death. It only takes a bite from
one infected mosquito to develop, and
symptoms usually develop between 6 –
30 days after the bite, although in rare
cases, symptoms can take up to a year to
develop.
According to the World Health
Organisation (WHO), in 2020:
• There were an estimated 241 million
cases of malaria worldwide
• The estimated number of malaria
deaths was 627,000
• The WHO African Region carries a
disproportionately high share of
the global malaria burden, and this
region was home to 95% of malaria
cases and 96% of malaria deaths
• Children under 5 accounted for an
estimated 80% of all malaria deaths
in the African region
The WHO and other medical agencies aim
to eradicate the disease so there are no
cases of malaria.
How is malaria spread?
Malaria is usually caused by a mosquito
bite and is carried in the blood. They
typically bite when humans are sleeping,
between 10pm and 2am and mosquitos
can then spread the disease to other
people they bite. An infected mother
can pass the disease on to her unborn
baby, and some people are infected after
receiving blood transfusions or organ
donations from a person infected with
malaria.
What is being done to fight
malaria?
Malaria is preventable given the right
medical equipment and precautionary
measures. There are a number of
charities who work to raise money to
buy equipment and medical supplies
and great strides are being made. For
example, in 2018, 27 countries reported
less than 100 cases of malaria and are
on track to becoming malaria-free in the
next few years. In 2020, it was estimated
that over 1.5 billion cases and 7.6 million
deaths have been prevented in the last
20 years, so there is hope on the horizon.
However, even one case is one case too
many so there is still a lot of work to be
done.
Sleeping under mosquito nets (preferably
under long-lasting, insecticide treated
ones) is one of the most effective ways
to prevent the disease. Nets cost around
£1.50 ($2) and can be used for 2 people
sleeping together, lasting approximately
4 years. The Against Malaria Foundation
estimates that:
“For every 600 nets we put over heads and
beds, one child doesn’t die and 500 to
1,000 cases of malaria are prevented.”
In 2021, the WHO approved the use of the
world’s first malaria vaccine, which took
20 years of development, with the British
company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) playing
an important role. The Jenner Institute at
Oxford University is also producing a new
malaria vaccine which is in stage 2 clinical
trials with results so far proving to be 77%
effective. These vaccines could prove to be
a vital defence in the world’s fight against
the disease, although the pandemic has
halted progress in some African countries.
Celebrities such as David Beckham have
championed campaigns such as “Malaria
must die so millions can live” to help
spread the word too.
History of World Malaria Day
World Malaria Day was first established in
May 2007 by the World Health Assembly,
the decision-making part of the WHO.
It aimed to provide “education and
understanding” about malaria and set
about a year-long education programme
to inform communities in endemic areas
about how they could prevent and treat
the disease.
Since then, it has been an annual event
where multinational organisations,
healthcare providers and communities
have worked together to bring about
change.
How to get involved
Raising awareness of malaria and raising
funds for vital equipment such as mosquito
nets are ways that you can get involved.
Using the hashtag #WorldMalariaDay on
social media also raises awareness.
Here are some other ideas for getting
involved:
• Raise some money for mosquito nets.
Since these nets are so inexpensive
but can save many lives, they are at
the forefront of disease prevention.
Even £15 raised could buy 10 mosquito
nets. You could use one as ‘tent’ in
your setting to explain to the children
how they prevent diseases
• Set up an imaginary ‘safari’ to Africa
and explain to the children some
of the animals they could see on
the way. You can then explain that
some animals are more dangerous
than others and it is not always the
biggest and most ferocious ones,
but sometimes the smallest ones
can cause more damage. You need
to be careful how you introduce the
topic to children so as not to scare
them, so choose your words carefully
and be age-appropriate. You could
do this a part of a session about
Understanding the World too
• Educate the children on how people in
other parts of the world live including
why they sleep under a mosquito
net – again this can be part of a wider
session about other cultures, food,
music, health etc.
• Set up a display about insects around
the world saying that some of them
are helpful insects such as bees and
butterflies, and others are less helpful
such as mosquitos because they can
spread disease
• Look up some resources that
are available on Twinkl including
PowerPoints and mosquito lifecycle
worksheets and use these with your
older children
More information and
resources
WHO – Malaria Facts and Figures
NHS Scotland malaria pages
Malaria No More
18 April 2022 | parenta.com
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