April 25 is a day of unified commemoration of the global effort to provide effective control of malaria around the world.

World Malaria Day is an opportunity for malaria-free countries to learn about the devastating consequences of the disease and for new donors to join a global partnership against malaria. It is an occasion for research and academia institutions to flag their scientific advances to both experts and the general public. And a chance for countries in affected regions to learn from each other's experiences and for international partners, companies and foundations to showcase their results and reflect on how to scale up what has been proven to work.

Malaria has plagued humanity since ancient times and continues to haunt 40% of the world's population, infecting more than 500 million people per year and killing over 1 million. The burden of malaria is heaviest in sub-Saharan Africa but the disease also afflicts Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and even parts of Europe.

World Malaria Day is not a day for gloom and fear. It is a day of determination and optimism as the global community now has enough evidence that this fight can be won if partners collaborate efficiently on community, local, national, regional and international levels.

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