World Malaria Day 2020: Zero Malaria Starts with Me
The global theme for World Malaria Day 2020 emphasizes the actions each of us can take to ensure no one dies from a mosquito bite. This World Malaria Day, Sumitomo Chemical joins the global malaria community to mark the positive impact of global commitments to end malaria. Since 2000, thanks to increased financial and political resources from countries worldwide, global partners have dramatically reduced the global malaria burden, enabling the scale up of effective interventions and better data.
Today, more countries than ever are close to elimination and fewer communities live in fear of a mosquito bite. But the fight is far from over. Malaria, a disease of poverty and inequity, still affects half the world – with pregnant women and children under five in sub-Saharan Africa bearing the heaviest burden of disease.
As the world struggles to respond to COVID-19, there is a significant risk that prevention and treatment programs for malaria will be disrupted. Global investments to end malaria also strengthen health systems that are critical to preventing, detecting and treating the most vulnerable populations at risk of malaria – and are at the frontlines of responding to new outbreaks like COVID-19.
Sumitomo Chemical continues to invest in the development and scale up of innovative tools and technologies to beat malaria and other deadly mosquito-borne diseases – in keeping with our Founders’ Precept that to thrive, business must give back to society. This concept has guided our action since Masatomo Sumitomo founded the Sumitomo Group of companies 400 years ago. It explains why, despite the many economic and technical challenges facing the development of vector control tools, Sumitomo Chemical continues to commit our efforts and resources to fight malaria.
Alongside malaria partners worldwide, we underscore our commitment to continue our critical work to end malaria in our lifetimes.
