On World Malaria Day I would like to celebrate the successes of the global efforts to control and eliminate malaria that have significantly reduced malaria mortality worldwide. I would also like to note that despite all these great efforts, well over half a million people, mostly children under the age of 5, died of the disease last year. This is an unacceptably high number.
Grand Challenges Canada supports 40 innovations addressing malaria in the developing world.
April 7 is the World Health Day, themed Small bites; Big threats, highlighting vector-borne diseases. Grand Challenges Canada, which is funded by the Government of Canada, joins other global organizations in commemorating this day by highlighting its projects aimed at raising awareness about the threats posed by insect and arthropod vectors, as well as the protozoa, bacteria, viruses, and parasites they carry, collectively known as vector-borne diseases (VBD’s) .