World Malaria Day May Be Over, but the Fight Against Malaria Continues

While World Malaria Day is observed on April 25 each year, commemorative activities continue to take place in the days and weeks afterward. Today we’ve got a Double Fist Bump, recognizing our PMI VectorLink Zambia and PMI VectorLink Liberia colleagues for their World Malaria Day events. PMI VectorLink Zambia participated in the Copperbelt provincial activities in Mpongwe on April 27, as one of 20 exhibitors, and PMI VectorLink Liberia, along with the NMCP, showcased its work at the World Malaria Day Parade on May 6 in Oldest Congo Town.

Every year, VectorLink Zambia supports the Ministry of Health in commemoration events for World Malaria Day through activities that showcase the project’s contributions in the fight against malaria. VectorLink Zambia printed one back drop and seven pop-up banners that were displayed during the Mpongwe provincial event. In addition, VectorLink partnered with the provincial and district health offices and Konkola Copper Mines, which implements IRS within its catchment area, to showcase IRS, ITN, and entomological surveillance activities. This was done through posters, a display of vector control commodities, IRS equipment and tools, mosquito collection tools and entomological monitoring procedures, and a display of live mosquito samples showing all life stages of Anopheles mosquitoes.

The vector control team stand attracted the attention of many people at the event, who were eager to learn more about the project’s activities. The exhibition’s judges, who included the Copperbelt Provincial Minister, were impressed with the display, and recognized the team with the best exhibitor award.

In Liberia, the World Malaria Day parade event featured USAID Liberia Health Office Director Jessica Healey as the keynote speaker. In her speech, Director Healey acknowledged VectorLink Liberia’s contributions to the fight against malaria, specifically the team’s monitoring of insecticide resistance and the data generated over the years that showed that the pyrethroids used to treat the standard ITNs were no longer fully effective. She noted that because of this work, Liberia changed its bed net procurement policy, and is now using a more effective ITN; there are enough of these nets to cover the whole population.

Like VL Zambia, VectorLink Liberia and the NMCP also had an exhibition stand at their event that featured live adult mosquitoes and larvae, demonstrations of different mosquito collection techniques, a microscope to show the morphology of adult mosquitoes and larvae, and an overall explanation of the project and NMCP work.

Kudos to VectorLink Zambia and vector control partners for a well-deserved award, and kudos to VectorLink Liberia for sharing their work in collaboration with the NMCP!