Seven ways to end World Malaria Day

A happier World Malaria Day will be when every child sleeps under a net.

I really wished this was the last year we have a World Malaria Day to raise awareness. I have been a doctor for over 30 years now and global health programs have still not eradicated malaria. The day when there are no more deaths from malaria will be one to celebrate, one in which we honor and remember the 1,200 people that were dying every day of malaria (there were about half a million deaths in 2015). You see, we really need to get better at ending malaria and change the look of this map.

Here are seven ways to strengthen health systems and get on the road to the final recognition of Malaria Day in 2030, or sooner:

1. Coordinate world surveillance and disease control programs to transparently gather information and allow public health managers to continue or improve effective interventions and stop interventions that are not effective.
2. Implement effective vector control programs in affected areas. We have the map and know where deaths take place.
3. Implement effective distribution of long-acting mosquito nets in all affected areas.
4. Ensure accurate estimation of medicine supply needs and procure and distribute medicines and testing supplies. No stockouts of malaria medicines, not anymore in 2016, please!
5. Implement effective diagnosis and treatment of malaria as part of an effective primary health care program that delivers integrated healthcare. Let’s not just focus on malaria and forget nutrition, TB, HIV, and other prevalent diseases.
6. Set performance targets for all healthcare providers so each is responsible for keeping a certain number of families malaria free.
7. Empower communities to monitor their malaria incidence and to take community-based prevention and early treatment programs up to scale.

I hope you join me in the effort for a happier malaria day in 2017.

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