World Malaria Day 2021

Since 2000, historic successes have been achieved in the global fight against malaria. In the last two decades, 7.6 million malaria deaths have been prevented and over 20 countries have been declared malaria-free. This shows that a world without malaria could become a reality in one generation.

But while the global public has been focusing on the threats of COVID-19 for more than a year, progress in the global fight against malaria has stagnated. Therefore, on this year's World Malaria Day, we are highlighting the need to hold the fight against malaria and the associated political and financial commitment as high priority, even in the shadow of the Corona pandemic.

Press release: Malaria control in times of COVID-19: Swiss commitment matters

Christa Rigozzi becomes new ambassador of the Swiss Malaria Group

On this year's World Malaria Day on April 25, the Swiss Malaria Group
appoints the presenter and entrepreneur Christa Rigozzi as its new
ambassador and emphasises: Switzerland's commitment to the fight
against malaria remains central even in times of the COVID 19 pandemic.

Press Release: Christa Rigozzi becomes new ambassador of the Swiss Malaria Group

Voices from our members on World Malaria Day

COVID-19 and malaria: Swiss engagement matters!

In 2020, the World Health Organisation warned that disruptions to malaria prevention and treatment programmes caused by COVID-19 could lead to a doubling of the malaria death rate. Although at the moment the data is incomplete, various reports suggest that such a massive increase has not yet occurred.

This is also due to the commitment of the members of the Swiss Malaria Group: they have been at the forefront of efforts to mitigate the negative impact of the corona virus on malaria control. This is shown by the following examples, which represent only a small part of the multifaceted activities of the members of the Swiss Malaria Group.

• Together with partner organisations, Biovision developed improvised water taps for hand washing in Kenya and organised information events in which, among other things, the importance of continuing malaria prevention and treatment despite COVID-19 was emphasised.
• In light of the current pandemic, Terre des hommes Foundation (Tdh) intensifies its efforts to ensure access to basic health services and malaria treatment for pregnant women and children. In 2020, Tdh provided appropriate malaria diagnosis and treatment to more than 1.62 million children in Burkina Faso.
• The non-governmental organisation SolidarMed supported health workers in various African countries with training and protective material and helped to protect patients with diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS or tuberculosis by setting up separate zones in health centres.
• During the COVID-19 crisis, the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) worked in many ways and in a number of countries together with local partners to ensure that children under the age of six had access to malaria medication, especially in remote areas. In Tanzania, for example, a team from Swiss TPH worked with the government to ensure the constant availability of essential drugs and set up a national telephonic hotline for all matters concerning COVID-19. Furthermore, the Swiss TPH’s CARAMAL project ensured a constant supply of antimalarial drugs and improved health care services in Nigeria, Uganda and DR Congo.
• Together with local partners, Roll Back Malaria RBM has worked to implement malaria prevention programmes despite COVID-19.
• Government institutions such as the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) were also present with various activities to prevent the precarious situation of health systems in countries of the Global South from worsening.
• Despite challenges such as supply chain disruptions and labour shortages, Novartis engaged to not only maintain but increase production and supply of anti-malarial drugs.
• In 2020, the product-development partnership Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) contributed its expertise to preserve investments in antimalarial drugs and to assist efforts in the fight against COVID-19 in research (e.g. with the COVID Box collating 160 molecules with activity against the coronavirus), clinical trials, manufacturing and supply chains.
• When Covid-19 broke out, Syngenta's Vector Control team offered additional support to national malaria programs. The team donated surgical masks and hand sanitizers to the programmes in Senegal and Ethiopia and maintained knowledge sharing via telephone and video conferencing.

"Health for all”-podcasts on malaria

On the occasion of World Malaria Day, the Swiss Malaria Group and Medicus Mundi Switzerland are producing the second season of the "Health for all"-podcast. Three episodes portray different people committed to the fight against malaria.

• Episode 1: Malaria and Switzerland: How a country's engagement matters - Interview with Julia Richter, Executive Secretary of the Swiss Malaria Group.
• Episode 2: «There is no excuse for the world to still have malaria» - Interview with Christian Lengeler, president of the Swiss Malaria Group and professor at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute.
• Episode 3: Malaria: Gender and the Right to Health - Interview with Valtenina Buj, global malaria and health partnership advisor at UNICEF.

Our ambassador Marcel Bieri is back in the sawdust

The Swiss wrestler and ambassador of the Swiss Malaria Group, Marcel Bieri, will once again fight the deadly mosquito on the occasion of World Malaria Day: From 12 April 2021, the clip will flicker across Swiss television screens on SRF 1 & 2:

Additional Resources

The RBM Partnership to End Malaria developed key messages and campaign materials for you to download and disseminate on your platforms. These include calls to action, social media graphics, hashtags and posts to help you promote World Malaria Day and raise awareness of this treatable and curable disease. For more information go to www.endmalaria.org.