The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes April 25 as World Malaria Day. This year, the theme was “Ready to Beat Malaria,” and multiple organizations across the world held seminars, discussions and other presentations to unite people with the common goal of creating a malaria free world.

Members of the YES Alumni Association - Nigeria (YAAN) teamed up with alumni from the Youth Leadership Program (a U.S government funded program) to organize a World Malaria Day event at the General Hospital Katsina. The alumni wanted to inform patients and their families about malaria, its symptoms, and precautions to take.

Malaria continues to be one of the most important yet overlooked health topics across the globe. In 2016, researchers estimated nearly 3.2 billion people were at risk of infection. By holding this event, alumni wanted to let families know about simple steps they could take on a personal level to lower their risk.

According to Aliyu Lawal Abdussamad (YES alumni 2014-2015, Nigeria, hosted in Fort Dodge, IA by IRIS) the discussion began with many of the attendees expressing that malaria is a major threat to their families’ health.

This concern resides in many parents across Nigeria, with malaria accounting for a majority of the mortality rate of children under the age of five. While malaria pills help lessen the severity of the disease, they do not always provide those infected with a full recovery, nor are they always available to those who need them most.

One alumna from the Youth Leadership Program led the presentation, as she is a nurse. She spoke about the symptoms of malaria, some remedies, and the importance of keeping clean houses and eliminating standing water to help keep mosquitoes at bay. In addition, YES alumni talked about the use of mosquito nets as another solution to help reduce risk of infection.

On this year’s World Malaria Day, it was noted that progress is at a standstill. Countries have either moved towards the elimination of the disease or they have reported even more cases of infection than before. The importance of discussions such as the one organized by YAAN alumni remains high, with hope there will be expanded coverage of tools to help prevent, diagnose and treat malaria in the near future.