20 August is World Mosquito Day, a global commemoration of Sir Ronald Ross’ discovery in 1897 that female Anopheles mosquitoes transmit malaria between humans.
World Mosquito Day, observed globally on August 20th, serves as a critical reminder of the urgent need for investment and political commitment in the fight against mosquito-borne diseases, particularly malaria and dengue.
On World Mosquito Day 2024, the RBM Partnership to End Malaria and its partners call for increased investments to eliminate mosquito-borne diseases, specifically malaria and dengue, which disproportionately impact women and girls. These diseases impact their health, disrupt their roles in society, and threaten their economic stability, leading to a significant loss in productivity and income. The challenges highlight the complex intersections of malaria and dengue with broader issues such as gender inequality, infrastructure challenges, and the climate crisis. Addressing these intersections is crucial for creating effective, comprehensive solutions. This includes allocating resources and implementing targeted interventions in vulnerable regions. Engaging communities is crucial to ensuring equitable access to malaria prevention and treatment, ultimately supporting the broader goal of malaria and dengue eradication.
PARTNER RESOURCES
Partners around the world are marking World Mosquito Day this year with a range of digital activations. We encourage everyone to participate in raising awareness about the need for increased investments to eliminate mosquito-borne diseases.
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
The foundation will continue the #SheFightsMalaria social media campaign for World Mosquito Day and Mosquito Week, spotlighting the incredible women at the forefront of the battle against malaria.
Know Your Enemy – VectorCam - Featuring VectorCam, a portable, AI-powered field tool that allows health officials to accurately identify different mosquito species to help malaria interventions.
Great news for mosquito haters - An overview of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's efforts to eradicate malaria, discussing the current tools available and the state of research into vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and gene drives.
The researcher versus the mosquitoes -This blog highlights Dr Corine Ngufor’s work leading cutting-edge research and innovation in malaria and vector control, with a focus on developing and evaluating new effective vector control tools and methods, including indoor residual spraying and bed nets.
Target Malaria
This year, Target Malaria’s World Mosquito Day campaign aims to clarify the distinctions between various mosquito species and the diseases they transmit. In the context of high misinformation and in light of the 2023 dengue outbreak, it is important to clarify the differences between malaria and dengue and the vectors that transmit these diseases: Anopheles and Aedes mosquitoes.
World Health Organization
As of 30 April 2024, over 7.6 million dengue cases have been reported to WHO in 2024, including 3.4 million confirmed cases, over 16 000 severe cases, and over 3000 deaths. While a substantial increase in dengue cases has been reported globally in the last five years, this increase has been particularly pronounced in the Region of the Americas, where the number of cases has already exceeded seven million by the end of April 2024, surpassing the annual high of 4.6 million cases in 2023.
MMV - Medicine for Malaria Venture
Help spread the word of the innovative tools helping countries protect more people from malaria, the need for investment and our shared commitment to winning the fight against the world's deadliest animal. Read, download and share the MMV/IVCC/Gavi World Mosquito Day social media posts and card images.
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