INTRODUCTION
This World Mosquito Day, held on 20 August, marks 125 years since British scientist Ronald Ross’ historic discovery that female mosquitoes transmit malaria between humans. This year, the RBM Partnership invites partners to come together and participate in World Mosquito Day activities that support our aim to:
- Raise awareness of the threats to malaria elimination.
- Celebrate the role of innovation in addressing these threats and accelerating progress in the malaria fight.
- Showcase promising malaria Research & Development projects and the scientists behind them.
- Highlight the impact of the Global Fund in supporting and harnessing innovation.
- Mobilise the scientific community to build momentum and engage policymakers ahead of the Global Fund Replenishment Conference, hosted by President Biden in the U.S. this September.
HOW TO USE THIS TOOLKIT
- Support the Global Fund’s Count Me In petition
- Join us to engage scientists this World Mosquito Day
- Check out the hashtags and handles we encourage you to use
- Use our proposed social media posts for your Twitter and Facebook feeds
- Download and share our social media assets
- Explore our partner materials
- Familiarize yourself with our key messages to share
ACTION
Support the Global Fund’s Count Me In petition
The Global Fund’s Seventh Replenishment campaign is calling on leaders to #FightForWhatCounts to save millions of lives from HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria.
In the run up to the Conference, the Global Fund is asking for people to help rally around this crucial moment in time by adding your name to the 'Count Me In' petition.
From 18th August, partners can visit the Global Fund’s new campaign website, to sign the petition and share on social media to encourage others to join.
Join us to engage scientists this World Mosquito Day
This World Mosquito Day, the malaria community is inviting scientists around the world to join Global Fund’s Count Me In campaign, to showcase their research and call on leaders to make crucial commitments at the Global Fund Replenishment Conference this September.
We encourage you to share the following guide with scientists in your teams or to reach out to other scientists you know, inviting them to participate in this challenge, to showcase their work, highlight its potential impact and advocate for increased funding to scale up malaria innovations ahead of the Global Fund Replenishment.
SOCIAL MEDIA
We encourage all partners to use the following materials to amplify World Mosquito Day activity on social media channels across the 19th and 20th of August.
Hashtags and handles
We encourage you to include the following accounts and hashtags in your social media posts this World Mosquito Day.
Twitter handles:
- @EndMalaria
- @GlobalFund
- @WHO
You may also like to tag the Ministers of Health and Research in your country, if appropriate for your organization.
Hashtags:
- #WorldMosquitoDay
- #CountMeIn
- #FightForWhatCounts
- #EndMalaria
- #ZeroMalaria
EXAMPLE SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS
The following posts can be shared on social media channels directly by partners or adapted to incorporate your own style or message as required.
Twitter:
1.
Today marks 125 years since British Scientist Ronald Ross discovered that female mosquitoes transmit malaria between humans🧍🏽♂️🦟
This #WorldMosquitoDay, we thank scientists 🧑🏼🔬🧑🏾🔬👩🏿🔬 for driving crucial research and innovation that is key 🔑 to achieving a #ZeroMalaria world.
2.
#DYK that mosquitos kill more people each year than any other animal? 🦟
This #WorldMosquitoDay, join us to call 📣 on world leaders to step up their commitments to the @GlobalFund, to help slash deaths 📉 from #malaria by 62% by 2026!
3.
#ZeroMalaria Starts with science! ⚗️🧪🧫🧬 There is no silver bullet to #EndMalaria – the trick to fighting the deadly disease is constant #innovation 💡 so that we always stay a step 👣 ahead of the endlessly evolving mosquito! #WorldMosquitoDay 🦟
4.
🧑🏼🔬🧑🏾🔬 As a Scientist working on crucial #malaria research 🔎, #CountMeIn this #WorldMosquitoDay! 🦟
Today, I call on world leaders to come together at the @GlobalFund Replenishment in 🇺🇸 to save 20 million futures! 💪🏽💪💪🏿
Sign the petition ➡️ FightForWhatCounts.org
5.
This #WorldMosquitoDay, count [Organization] in to save 20 Million futures! 🦟
World leaders must now #FightForWhatCounts at the @GlobalFund’s Seventh Replenishment in 🇺🇸 to achieve the target of a least $18 billion to fight #Malaria, #TB and #HIV ➡️ FightForWhatCounts.org
6.
Investment in Research and Development has produced the best pipeline of malaria tools yet 🕸️💉💊🧬
Pledges to the @GlobalFund this September will ensure that, once approved, these tools are rolled out ✈️🚚📦 quickly where they’re needed the most 🎯 #WorldMosquitoDay 🦟
7.
The constantly evolving #malaria parasite and mosquito is giving rise to drug and insecticide resistance that puts progress at risk ⚠️
Science ⚗️🧪🧫 and innovation 🕸️💉💊 are key to stop the mosquito in its tracks! #WorldMosquitoDay 🦟
8.
Science ⚗️ and innovation 💉 is critical to deliver the diverse toolbox 🧰 of complementary tools 🛠️ and approaches 📔 required to strengthen 💪🏽💪🏿 the #malaria fight! #WorldMosquitoDay 🦟
FACEBOOK:
1.
Today marks 125 years since British Scientist Ronald Ross @LSTMnews discovered that female mosquitoes transmit #Malaria between humans🧍🏽♂️🦟 for which he received the @Nobel Prize for physiology and medicine.
But did you know scientists like Ronald are still at the heart of the malaria fight, driving crucial research 🔎 and innovation 💡 that is key 🔑 to achieving a world free from malaria!
This #WorldMosquitoDay, we thank scientists 🧑🏼🔬🧑🏾🔬👩🏿🔬 around the world for their work to develop new tools 🕸️ 💉 💊 🧬 to fight malaria and stay a step ahead of the constantly evolving mosquito!
2.
#ZeroMalaria Starts with science! ⚗️ 🧪 🧫 🧬
There is no silver bullet to end malaria. Until we eradicate the disease for good, we need constant innovation 💡 and strategic delivery 🚚 of existing tools 🛠️ to stay one step 👣 ahead of evolving mosquito and parasite 🦟
This #WorldMosquitoDay, join us to ensure world leaders step up their commitments to achieve @TheGlobalFund Replenishment target 🎯 of $18 billion and save 20 million lives from HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria!
3.
#DYK that mosquitos 🦟 are the deadliest animals in the world?
627,000 people died from #Malaria in 2020, most of them African children under five. If not stopped in its tracks, the mosquito’s resistance to #malaria tools 🕸️ 💉 💊 🧬 could cause this number to rise 📈
This #WorldMosquitoDay, we call on world leaders to step up their commitments 💰 to @TheGlobalFund to help deliver critical #malaria programmes 📔 and harness innovation 💡 to save lives!
Campaign Assets
The RBM Partnership and partners have developed a range of tailored assets to support partners in advocating for increased funding and innovation this World Mosquito Day, including social media graphics and video content. The link also collates existing assets on mosquitos for partners to reuse.
Support fellow partners this World Mosquito Day!
To further support the World Malaria Day activities, check out the fantastic resources from partners across the globe, which can also be downloaded and shared across social media.
- Amplify Target Malaria’s social media #MosquitoCountdown, featuring a range of facts and quizzes about mosquitos (live throughout August 1st – 20th).
- Medicines for Malaria Venture and Innovative Vector Control Consortium have collaborated to launch a new open access compound collection to stimulate open research on mosquito-borne diseases.
- Read the President's Malaria Initiative’s web story on how the U.S. supports the New Nets Project.
- Catch up on the Gates Foundation’s blog on Interceptor G2 nets.
- Discover the Gates Notes blog on mosquito behaviour.
- Read Dr Corine Karema’s comment piece on the threats to malaria elimination posed by the mosquito. (COMING SOON)
- Finally, discover Malaria Consortium’s latest paper on its current surveillance project in Mozambique.
KEY MESSAGES
We encourage partners to use the following facts and messages in their World Mosquito Day activities.
Innovation:
- Despite its small size, the mosquito is the world’s deadliest animal. In 2020, an estimated 627,000 malaria deaths were recorded, mostly young African children – 69,000 more than the previous year.
- If not stopped in their tracks, emerging drug and insecticide resistance due to the constantly evolving malaria parasite and mosquito can quickly undo decades of progress.
- The current set of tools will not be enough to eradicate malaria. Years of research and development have resulted in a robust malaria innovation pipeline that aims to tackle these challenges, accelerate progress and ultimately end malaria within a generation.
- Until we eradicate malaria, we need constant innovation to stay one step ahead of the highly evolving mosquito and parasite, with interventions deployed strategically in combination with existing malaria prevention and treatment measures.
Global Fund:
- Since 2002, the Global Fund has saved over 44 million lives, reduced the burden of HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis by 46% and strengthened health systems in the world’s most vulnerable communities.
- The Global Fund estimates that the Replenishment target of at least US$18 billion can reduce cases of malaria by a further 66%, cut malaria deaths by 62% and eliminate malaria from at least six countries by 2026.
- A fully replenished Global Fund will allow us to harness innovation to save more lives and maximize impact to bring the world closer to ending malaria.
- Significant investments in R&D during the last several years produced a robust pipeline of malaria interventions poised to transform the fight against malaria These include more effective nets, effective vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, improved vector control tools like ATSBs, genetically modified mosquitoes and diagnostic and surveillance tools. Investments in the Global Fund will ensure these transformative tools, once approved, will be rolled out quickly where they’re needed most.
- The Global Fund has supported next-generation dual-insecticide-treated nets, as well as the recently approved malaria vaccine, bringing us additional tools in the fight against the disease.
Credits:
Created with Malaria No More UK images, as well as Adobe Stock images by • VIMONSIRI19 - "Mosquito Larvae Segment Under A Microscope" • Riccardo Niels Mayer - "Portrait Shot Of African Black Girl With Medicine" • Riccardo Niels Mayer - "Healthcare Professional Holding A Syringe With Antimalarial Vaccine To Be Injected To A Small Black African Boy As Part Of A Malaria Control Program - Malaria Vaccination Concept"