World Malaria day
World Malaria Day was established in May 2007 by the world health assembly. World Malaria Day is celebrated on the 25th of April and was established to provide education and understanding of Malaria and how it is spread/how it can be prevented.
Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that infect humans through the bites of female Anophele mosquitoes. It is the 3rd biggest killer of children globally and around 800,000 people die every year from the disease. In 2017 it was estimated 219 million cases of malaria were recorded in 87 countries and 90% of deaths occurred in Africa (WHO). However, Malaria is preventable and curable if treated properly. The Malaria disease is spread through female Anopheles mosquitoes which breed their eggs in water, they hatch into larvae and then they grow into adult mosquitoes. The females need a blood meal to feed their eggs which is why they bite humans and then the humans get infected by the parasites.
When local communities don’t have a fresh water supply they rely on collecting water and storing it. The larvae develop in different types of water but develop most frequently in stagnant water. This water is the type of water that communities that lack a drinking water system will travel to collect and then store it for use, providing a perfect habit for the larvae to breed and spread the disease. This along with a lack of personal hygiene and understanding can increase the risk of fatality. However safe water alone will not prevent Malaria. Thing such as Educating communities about keeping the water they collect safe from contamination as well as keeping up regular personal hygiene, a clean environment and persevering the mosquito nets which help prevent people getting bitten is what will help bring the death for Malaria down.
Thanks to drop4drop projects in Malaria prone places can now receive clean drinking water for the community due to the installation of water pumps/ wells to provide this clean water. This reduces the need for storage of potentially contaminated water and provides less of a risk for the mosquito to develop and infect the locals in the community. As well as the clean water source, communities have also been educated in personal hygiene and keeping clean to prevent the potential spread of harmful diseases.