(source: http://www.mobilising4malaria.org/)In 2008 the 25th of April will be officially named World Malaria Day for the first time. Established and approved by the WHO in March 2007 it will replace Africa Malaria Day, which has taken place every year on 25th of April since 2001.
Malaria is one of the most common and serious tropical diseases. Millions of people die and hundreds of millions fall ill from Malaria.
WHAT IS IT?
Malaria is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium, which is transmitted via the bites of infected mosquitoes. In the human body, the parasites multiply in the liver, and then infect the red blood cells.
Symptoms of malaria include fever, headache, and vomiting, and these usually appear between 10 and 15 days after the mosquito bite. If not treated, malaria can quickly become life-threatening by disrupting the blood supply to vital organs. In many parts of the world, the parasites have developed resistance to a number of malaria medicines.
Key interventions to control malaria include: prompt and effective treatment with artemisinin-based combination therapies; use of insecticidal nets by people at risk; and indoor residual spraying with insecticide to control the vector mosquitoes.
Malaria is one of the most common and serious tropical diseases. Millions of people die and hundreds of millions fall ill from Malaria.
WHAT IS IT?
Malaria is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium, which is transmitted via the bites of infected mosquitoes. In the human body, the parasites multiply in the liver, and then infect the red blood cells.
Symptoms of malaria include fever, headache, and vomiting, and these usually appear between 10 and 15 days after the mosquito bite. If not treated, malaria can quickly become life-threatening by disrupting the blood supply to vital organs. In many parts of the world, the parasites have developed resistance to a number of malaria medicines.
Key interventions to control malaria include: prompt and effective treatment with artemisinin-based combination therapies; use of insecticidal nets by people at risk; and indoor residual spraying with insecticide to control the vector mosquitoes.
For more information, please visit: http://www.mobilising4malaria.org/ and http://www.malariaconsortium.org/
