President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has by proclamation declared Thursday, April 25, 2024, as “World Malaria Day” and it is to be observed throughout the Republic as a working holiday.
Cognizant of the harmful effects and burden malaria places on the human race, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the world over, a Resolution declaring April 25 of each year as Africa Malaria Day, amended as World Malaria Day, was adopted by the Summit of African Heads of States held in Harare, Zimbabwe in 1997, which called on Member States of the then Organization of African Unity (OAU), now the African Union (AU), to initiate and implement Plans of Actions and make appropriate investments that would curtail malaria morbidity and mortality rates in Africa.
According to a Foreign Ministry release, April 25, 2024 is the 17th World Malaria Day, and will be celebrated under the global theme: “Health Equity, Gender and Human Rights” and with a national slogan, “Sleep Under The Net Everywhere And Every Night.”
The National Malaria Control Program and partners will celebrate this year’s World Malaria Day.
The Proclamation states that the Government of the Republic of Liberia, cognizant of the significance of protecting and promoting the wellbeing of its citizens and foreign residents, has ratified the Convention on the Right of the Child to good health and nutrition and, as a member state of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the African Union, will join other global health partners in supporting all health programs to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC), with the guiding principle to Leave No One Behind.
President Boakai has requested that the Ministry of Health and other government agencies, as well as international organizations concerned to initiate and execute appropriate activities and programs to mark the commemoration of the day.
The Presidential Proclamation furthers that there are continued investments in Malaria prevention and control to propel Malaria-endemic countries, which include Liberia, along the path to achieving the targets of the Global Malaria Technical Strategy and the Sustainable Development Goals, especially those related to improving child survival and maternal health, eradicating extreme poverty, and expanding equitable access to quality health services, specifically for Malaria prevention and prompt treatment.
The Proclamation also added that in the last year, about 94% of the estimated 249 million malaria cases and 95% of estimated 608,000 malaria deaths occurred in the WHO/AFRO Region, Six African countries, the worst-impacted by malaria in the Region, are reported to have accounted for up to 55% of cases globally, and for 50% of these deaths.
In Liberia, all-cause under-five mortality rate has declined from 94 per 1,000 live births in 2013 to 93 per 1,000 live births in 2019 and hospital admissions for severe Malaria has declined slightly from 9% in 2021 to 8% in 2023 and the Government annual expenditure on health has remained steady in the range of 10 to 14% over the past 10 years, in fulfillment of the Abuja Declaration that calls for Members States to allocate 15% of national budget to health.
