World Malaria Day 2025:
World Malaria Day is observed every year on April 25, as endorsed by WHO member states in 2007.
- The theme for 2025 is “Malaria Ends With Us: Reinvest, Reimagine, Reignite”, which urges renewed global action against malaria through innovation, collaboration, and sustained commitment.
- Malaria is a life-threatening febrile illness caused by Plasmodium parasites, transmitted through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.
- The disease is not contagious, but can be spread through infected blood or contaminated needles.
- The most dangerous species are Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax.
- Symptoms appear 10–15 days after infection and include fever, chills, and headache.
- Severe symptoms can include seizures, difficulty breathing, jaundice, dark urine, and death if untreated.
- Partial immunity can develop in endemic regions, making diagnosis difficult in some patients.
- Prevention includes vector control, use of mosquito nets, repellents (DEET, IR3535, Icaridin), long clothing, and chemoprophylaxis for travelers.
- Early diagnosis and treatment using microscopy or rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) is critical.
- Treatments include:
- ACTs (Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies) for falciparum.
- Chloroquine for vivax where effective.
- Primaquine to prevent relapses in vivax and P. ovale infections.
- Severe malaria cases require injectable treatments in clinical settings.
