BUJUMBURA April 26th (ABP) – The Minister of Public Health and the fight against AIDS, Mrs. Sylvie Nzeyimana and the representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Burundi, Dr. Xavier Crespin, released on Sunday the April 24, 2022, in Bujumbura, a joint declaration relating to the celebration of the international day of the fight against malaria whose theme chosen for this year is “Innovate to reduce the burden of malaria and save lives”.
Minister Nzeyimana pointed out that this day has been celebrated on April 25 every year since 2008. It was created as part of raising awareness among the population to protect themselves against malaria, a disease that causes harmful effects in families, in community and sustainable development.
However, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, significant successes have been recorded in the last year in the fight against malaria. Among those successes is the use of the first malaria vaccine to prevent malaria in children aged six months to five years, although not all countries have yet been served.
The Ministry of Health calls on the Burundian population to respect hygiene measures at home, to sleep tirelessly under a mosquito net impregnated with long-lasting insecticides (LLIN), to seek treatment as soon as possible whenever the symptoms of the disease appear and to take medication as prescribed by the doctor.
The WHO representative in Burundi said that the theme chosen for the 2022 edition is in line with WHO’s call to urgently expand innovation and the deployment of tool levels in the fight against that disease while advocating for equitable access to prevention and treatment of malaria, as part of strengthening the resilience of health systems.
The WHO Representative in Burundi took the opportunity to appeal to countries and communities affected by malaria to work together with development partners to move their countries forward on the path to the eradication of malaria, while contributing to the achievement of the other Sustainable Development Goals. Finally, he stressed that the WHO remains fully committed to the fight against malaria and is convinced that this challenge can be overcome if we all work together.
Note that the ceremonies relating to the celebration of World Malaria Day for the 15th edition will take place on May 6, 2022 in Muyinga commune and province, said the Minister in charge of Public Health.