Joint efforts for protecting children from malaria stressed

LAHORE:A Trust organisation is sounding the alarm on malaria’s growing threat to Pakistan’s children, as the disease becomes increasingly endemic across the country.

On World Malaria Day, ChildLife Foundation is calling urgent attention to the continued burden of malaria on Pakistan’s youngest and most vulnerable citizens. Despite being entirely preventable and treatable, malaria remains one of the leading killers of children under five in Pakistan and globally.

In 2023 alone, over 597,000 people died from malaria worldwide—77% were children under the age of five. In Pakistan, the threat is rapidly escalating, with 3.4 million suspected and 2.7 million confirmed cases reported. The presence of both Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax strains, particularly in Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, makes children more vulnerable to severe outcomes, including coma and death.

‘A single mosquito bite should not decide a child’s fate,’ said Dr Irfan Habib, Medical Director of ChildLife Foundation. ‘This World Malaria Day, we urge all sectors—public, private, and media—to join hands in preventing unnecessary deaths.’

ChildLife Foundation operates in 14 Pediatric Emergency Rooms (ERs) and over 300 telemedicine satellite centres in government hospitals, forming a national safety net for critically ill children.

In 2024, ChildLife treated more than 15,600 children for malaria, offering immediate, lifesaving care. ChildLife ERs are equipped for rapid diagnosis and standardised treatment for severe cases and supportive care with fluids, transfusions, monitoring, and prevention counselling for every caregiver at discharge.

Children are most at risk of malaria due to a combination of environmental, social, and healthcare challenges. In low-income areas, stagnant water, poor sanitation, and substandard housing create ideal conditions for mosquito breeding. Many families lack awareness about early symptoms and simple prevention methods, making timely intervention difficult. Climate change is further worsening the situation—floods and rising temperatures are accelerating mosquito reproduction. In remote districts, delays in accessing emergency care often turn treatable infections into life-threatening emergencies for young children. Early signs include fever with chills, vomiting, lethargy, and body aches. Severe symptoms—such as seizures, unconsciousness, jaundice, or tea-coloured urine—warrant an urgent ER visit.

At ChildLife’s ER, attendants receive essential counselling on malaria prevention to protect their children from future infections. This includes guidance on using insecticide-treated mosquito nets and repellents, dressing children in full-sleeved clothing during the evening hours and removing stagnant water around the home to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds. Parents are also advised to use mosquito coils or plug-in repellents to reduce exposure indoors.