The world marked World Mosquito Day on 20 August.

This year, GFAN Africa and the Civil Society for Malaria Elimination (CS4ME) mobilized partners on World Mosquito Day to join in social media action to emphasize the need for countries and regional partners to work towards the elimination of malaria amid COVID -19. This is in consideration of the knock on effect that COVID-19 will cause to malaria elimination as a result of disruption of prevention, treatment and care services. Partners from the following countries joined in the twitterthon: Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Cameroon and Ghana.

In 1897 Ronald Ross working in India discovered that culicine mosquitoes transmitted the avian malaria parasite Plasmodium relictum and suggested that human malaria parasites might also be transmitted by mosquitoes.

While urging for sustained unrelenting efforts to end malaria, the key messages emphasized:

1. That Governments must ensure provision of needed malaria control services amid COVID-19 to save lives
2. The need for mass vector control to help end malaria while ensuring the protection of health workers and communities from COVID-19
3. That our leaders must increase their allocation of domestic resources for health to help end malaria and other life threatening diseases and ensure quality healthcare for all

According to the World Health Organization’s malaria report, most malaria cases in 2018 were African Region (213 million or 93%). Then there is urgent need to minimize disruptions to malaria prevention and treatment services during the COVID-19 pandemic to avoid slipping back and having increased numbers of malaria related deaths.

Indeed, we UniteToFight COVID-19, malaria, and all life threatening diseases.