Paris to Host 2019 World Malaria Day

The city of Paris in France has been affirmed to host this year's World Malaria Day coming up on April 25 with a series of events to commemorate it.
A communiqué from Roll Back Malaria program reads that this year’s theme, ‘Zero Malaria Starts with Me’ will empower individuals across the world to make a personal commitment to saving millions of more lives and help communities to step up the fight in ending malaria.



According to the most recent World Malaria Report, the global tally of malaria reached 429,000 malaria deaths and 212 million new cases in 2015. The rate of new malaria cases fell by 21 per cent globally between 2010 and 2015, and malaria death rates fell by 29 per cent in the same period. In sub-Saharan Africa, case incidence and death rates fell by 21 per cent and 31 per cent, respectively

World Malaria Day was established in May 2007 by the 60th session of the
World Health Assembly , WHO's decision-making body. The day was established to provide "education and understanding of malaria" and spread information on "year-long intensified implementation of national malaria-control strategies, including community-based activities for malaria prevention and treatment in endemic areas."

Francophone countries, where 313 million people are at risk of malaria would be beneficiaries of the event as
the Roll Back Malaria Partnership to End Malaria and the French government are planning events for the Francophone countries in addition to events taking place in Paris. Indeed, half of the 10 highest malaria burdened countries are Francophone countries.

Dr Winnie Mpanju-Shumbusho, Board Chair, RBM Partnership to End Malaria, says, “World Malaria Day offers people all over the world the opportunity to step up the fight against malaria at a time when global malaria cases are on the rise and funding has flatlined.”
“We cannot accept this as status quo, rather each one of us must commit to ensuring universal access to life-saving interventions for the hundreds of millions of people around the world still at risk of malaria,” she adds.

However the French Minister for Solidarity and Health, Professor A. Buzyn,said now is the time to reignite the fight against malaria, as progress is stalling. He opined that in 2017, for the first time in ten years, the number of malaria cases sky rocketed again, affecting 219 million people.
“The African continent accounts for over 90% of this burden and seven West and Central African countries are among the most affected.
We must give ourselves the means of fighting this preventable and treatable disease, that kills one child every two minutes.
On the 25th April, France will reassert its full commitment to the fight against malaria, through multilateral financing, as well as through our government agencies, civil society, and our research institutes,” he says.
Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris, says the city of Paris is proud to host this year's World Malaria Day.
“With more than 6 million euros spent each year, Paris is one of the principal local authority contributors to international aid, particularly in the areas of health, combatting pandemics and sanitation.
"I hope that this day will enable us to raise awareness of the importance of this commitment among Parisians, as it fully reflects the solidarity of Paris.”