President Zardari’s message on World Malaria Day

President Asif Ali Zardari has said the World Malaria Day has been observed as a reminder of the need to undertake concerted efforts for raising awareness among the people and to curb the disease in endemic areas of the country. The day has been observed on April 25 every year. Malaria is a preventable disease, easy to diagnose and can be treated successfully. In a message issued by Bilawal House, the president said, “Let us on this day rededicate ourselves to implement the global malaria control programme and testing every suspected malaria case followed by treatment with quality anti-malarial medicines.” He added the rapid advances in malaria prevention, diagnosis and treatment during recent years have improved the situation and decreased manifold the malaria-related mortality and morbidity. However, Pakistan is still a long way from achieving the global, regional and national malaria control targets. “One of the challenges in controlling malaria is the need for adequate investment in the health sector.”