mosquito
By: Muthoni Kahuthia
People around the world are still menaced by the life threatening disease ‘Malaria’ which causes more than 400,000 deaths every year. In 2020, there were an estimated 241 million new cases of malaria and 627,000 malaria related deaths. More than two thirds of these deaths were among children under the age of five living in the WHO African Region.
This yearโs World Malaria Day will be marked under the theme “Harness innovation to reduce the malaria disease burden and save lives.” Let’s not forget that malaria is preventable and also treatable. It’s upon each and every one of us to take up the responsibility and protect ourselves against malaria. Protect our children against malaria. Employ the measures given to prevent the spread of malaria.
Get rid of the bushes around your homesteads, the stagnant pools of water and the long grass since this is where the mosquitoes breed. Pregnant women also have the obligation to take the anti-malaria during pregnancy so as to protect themselves and the child they are carrying. Sleeping under treated mosquito nets to keep away from mosquito bites among other measures.
However, even with these measures put into place, malaria still continues to be a threat endangering the livelihood and health of people around the world. That’s why it’s about time we delved into seeking new innovations, techniques, designs and approaches to curb malaria and save lives.
Let’s not forget that every two minutes a child dies of malaria. It’s upon us all to ensure that no child lacks lifesaving services that can prevent, detect and treat the disease or dies due to lack of services.