Malaria Day in the Americas
Malaria: Closer to Home than You Think

Member countries of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) celebrated the first Malaria Day in the Americas on Nov. 6 to call attention to the impact of malaria in Latin America and the Caribbean and to rally more public support for efforts to fight the disease.

The message was that much progress has been made in controlling malaria in the region, but there is still much more to be done. More action is needed at the individual, community, country and regional levels to control malaria and eventually eliminate it.

"Malaria remains a major challenge for countries in the Americas," said PAHO Director Mirta Roses. "There is no room for complacency. We must continue to fight this disease in our communities, countries, and throughout the region."

Worldwide, malaria kills more than 1 million people every year, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa. In the Americas, the number of cases has declined by 20 percent and the number of deaths by 70 percent since 2000, when the region stepped up control efforts as part of the Roll Back Malaria initiative of PAHO and the World Health Organization (WHO). Despite that progress, however, malaria remains endemic in 21 countries of the Americas and produces some 1 million illnesses each year. PAHO estimates that one in three people in the Americas is at risk of the disease.

Malaria is caused by the Plasmodium parasite, which is transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes. In endemic areas, everyone is susceptible, but pregnant women, children, and people with HIV/AIDS are at highest risk. Other high-risk groups in the PAHO region include travelers, miners, loggers, banana and sugarcane workers, indigenous people, those in areas of armed or social conflict, and people living in border zones. Poverty and migration are aggravating factors that put people at greater risk and make control efforts more difficult.

In 2006, PAHO countries set the goal of cutting the burden of malaria in half by 2010 through a regional strategy that focuses on prevention, surveillance, and detection; mosquito control; diagnosis and treatment; and health systems strengthening. Social mobilization, communication, and advocacy are also key elements of the strategy, and Malaria Day in the Americas was conceived as a platform for advancing all three.

With the slogan "Be part of the solution in the Americas, Join the global fight against malaria!" the first Malaria Day in the Americas called on individuals, communities, and organizations to "make a difference for the Americas" through advocacy and partnerships.

"Ask the questions, learn the answers, and take the right action," Roses said in a videotaped public health message. "If you are living in or visiting an area where malaria is found, play it smart: eliminate mosquito breeding sites, use insecticide-treated mosquito nets, seek diagnosis at the nearest health center, and, if you are prescribed treatment, please complete it faithfully."