April 7 is World Health day. This year’s theme is dedicated to vector-borne diseases which are illnesses caused by pathogens and parasites in human populations. Every year there are more than 1 billion cases and more than 1 million deaths from vector-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, schistosomiasis, human African trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis and onchocerciasis, globally.

According to WHO, vector-borne diseases account for 17% of the estimated global burden of all infectious diseases. The most deadly vector-borne disease, malaria, caused an estimated 627 000 deaths in 2012.

To raise awareness about the threat posed by vectors and vector-borne diseases, WHO has launched the "Small bite, big threat" campaign. The initiative also aims to stimulate families and communities to take action to protect themselves.

Using the World Health Day as a starting point, Daily Development will dedicate this week to the people and organizations working to prevent vector-borne diseases such as malaria and other less popular or neglected diseases.