SIMS, one of Chennai’s leading multi-speciality hospitals on the occasion of World Malaria Day conducted an awareness session for their patients. Spearheaded by the Department of Medical Science the session consisted of an informative talk about the various preventive measures one can take to fight against this global health crisis. Followed by this, the expert Doctor team also played an insightful video for the patients to know more about Malaria covering the nature of the disease, methods of diagnosis and vector control strategies
Commenting on this initiative, Dr P.Kuganantham, Head of Department, Social Medicines said, “Malaria is a highly concerning public health issue globally, and in India as well. Diseases such as Dengue and Malaria have similar symptoms and can be treated if the symptoms are identified early. Contrary to general belief, prevention is possible if people take the necessary steps to avoid water stagnation around their homes and the surrounding areas, and for this, it is important for them to cooperate with healthcare professionals and government officials on the guidelines issued by them with prompt and due diligence.”
According to the latest data from the World Health Organization, there were 241 million cases of malaria in the world in 2020, with 627,000 deaths anticipated. In addition, the WHO African Region was home to 95% of malaria cases and 96 percent of malaria deaths in 2020. Children under the age of five accounted for around 80% of all malaria deaths in the region. So far, none of the Indian states have been able to completely eliminate Malaria despite exhaustive prevention strategies. The WHO has been actively recommending the RTS,S/AS01 protein vaccine to be administered to children across the globe, especially to those who reside in areas that are highly prone to the Malaria-causing mosquito variant, so as to prevent the cases of malaria, and to an extent reduce the mortality rates due to the deadly disease.