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World Malaria Day April 25, World Malaria Day, is a day of unified commemoration of the global effort to provide effective control of malaria around the world. Between 350 and 500 million episodes of malaria occur each year, resulting in between one and two million deaths. Most deaths occur among rural African children under five who do not sleep under insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) and whose parents can’t obtain treatment in a timely manner. In addition to distributing ITNs to prevent the illness, which accounts for the majority of the 19 million malaria episodes that PSI estimates its programs averted in 2007, PSI also makes accessible effective products that treat the most vulnerable. PSI is scaling up its malaria treatment efforts and expects an increasing amount of its malaria health impact to come from the treatment side. However, several issues must be dealt with in order to ensure that the most vulnerable have access to effective treatment: • Typically, most people obtain treatment outside the public health sector, through channels such as pharmacies and drug stores. Therefore, in order for home-based management of malaria — recommended by the World Health Organization — to be successful, treatment must also be made available through the commercial sector. • The treatment itself must be upgraded from less effective monotherapies, such as chloroquine, to the more effective artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT). • And, since ACTs are about ten times more expensive than the monotherapies they replace, a heavy subsidy is essential. PSI is proud to be but one of many Roll Back Malaria partners working to turn back the tide of malaria.
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