World Malaria Day Wednesday
Dhaka, Apr 24 (UNB) – The World Malaria Day will be observed in Bangladesh as elsewhere across the globe tomorrow (Wednesday) with the theme ‘Sustain Gains, Save Lives: Invest in Malaria’.
World Malaria Day - which was instituted by the World Health Assembly at its 60th session in May 2007 - is a day for recognising the global efforts to provide effective control of malaria.
According to World Health Organization (WHO), in 2010, about 3.3 billion people - almost half of the world's population - were at risk of malaria. Every year, this leads to about 216 million malaria cases and an estimated 655 000 deaths. People living in the poorest countries are the most vulnerable.
In Bangladesh, different organisations have chalked out various programmes to mark the day. The programmes include seminar, rally and health camps.
As part of the programmes, Directorate General of Health Services in association with BRAC and WHO arranged a press conference at New DOHS in the city on Tuesday.
Addressing the press conference, health experts called for taking effective measures to reduce malaria morbidity and mortality.
Though malaria elimination project has been taken up, the disease is yet to be eliminated in the country, they said.
The experts said 36 people died of the disease in 2011 while the toll was 228 in 2007.
Three CHT districts, Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar are high endemic areas where 85% cases and deaths take place. Eight other districts are epidemic prone. About 615,059 people were affected this year with the disease.
The speakers said our objectives should be to prevent and contain malaria epidemics and empower community for malaria control and promote partnership with NGOs and the private sector.
Prof. Be-Nazir Ahmed, Director, Diseases Control and Line Director, CDC (Malaria), Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Prof. MA Faiz, Ex-DG of DGHS, Prof. Ridwanur Rahman, head of Medicine Department of Suhrawardy Medical College, among others, addressed the conference.
World Malaria Day - which was instituted by the World Health Assembly at its 60th session in May 2007 - is a day for recognising the global efforts to provide effective control of malaria.
According to World Health Organization (WHO), in 2010, about 3.3 billion people - almost half of the world's population - were at risk of malaria. Every year, this leads to about 216 million malaria cases and an estimated 655 000 deaths. People living in the poorest countries are the most vulnerable.
In Bangladesh, different organisations have chalked out various programmes to mark the day. The programmes include seminar, rally and health camps.
As part of the programmes, Directorate General of Health Services in association with BRAC and WHO arranged a press conference at New DOHS in the city on Tuesday.
Addressing the press conference, health experts called for taking effective measures to reduce malaria morbidity and mortality.
Though malaria elimination project has been taken up, the disease is yet to be eliminated in the country, they said.
The experts said 36 people died of the disease in 2011 while the toll was 228 in 2007.
Three CHT districts, Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar are high endemic areas where 85% cases and deaths take place. Eight other districts are epidemic prone. About 615,059 people were affected this year with the disease.
The speakers said our objectives should be to prevent and contain malaria epidemics and empower community for malaria control and promote partnership with NGOs and the private sector.
Prof. Be-Nazir Ahmed, Director, Diseases Control and Line Director, CDC (Malaria), Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Prof. MA Faiz, Ex-DG of DGHS, Prof. Ridwanur Rahman, head of Medicine Department of Suhrawardy Medical College, among others, addressed the conference.
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