World Malaria Day, marked each year on 25 April, is an occasion to highlight the need for continued investment and sustained political commitment for malaria prevention and control.

The theme for 2019 is: “Zero malaria starts with me”

According to WHO’s latest World malaria report, no significant gains were made in reducing malaria cases in the period 2015 to 2017. The estimated number of malaria deaths in 2017, at 435 000, remained virtually unchanged over the previous year. Urgent action is needed to get the global response to malaria back on track – and ownership of the challenge lies in the hands of countries most affected by malaria.

The world's first-ever malaria vaccine RTS,S was launched in Malawi, Africa on 23rd April 2019. Thirty years in the making, it is the first and the only vaccine that has demonstrated that it can significantly reduce malaria in children.