1962 – A malaria story

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Malaria is an infection, caused by a tiny bug – Plasmodium and its species. This bug enters human body by a mosquito-bite and multiplies, leading to fever. Bug also exits through a mosquito completing a cycle. Malaria cycle was discovered in 1897 by Ronald Ross, which earned him 1902 Nobel in Medicine. We however fast-forward to 1962, focus of current blog.

Philately pandemic of 1962 – The World United Against Malaria

Year 1962 was a philately pandemic for malaria. As many as 101 countries issued a total of 262 postal stamps on this theme. World health organisation (WHO) had orchestrated this postal pandemic. Aim was to increase awareness and to crowd-fund malaria eradication efforts. According to a WHO report, this campaign raised USD 200,000 in 1962 itself. All the stamps had a logo with a globe, staff of Asclepius, and a mosquito. A WHO report from 1963 lists all stamps that contributed to this philately-pandemic.

A prelude to the 1962 philately-pandemic

WHO launched Global eradication program for malaria (GEPM) in 1955, seven years before the postage stamp campaign. Goal was to achieve eradication (in all areas except Africa) in five years. We believed that eradication was achievable. Key weapon in this campaign was DDT – an insecticide that could destroy all anopheles mosquitoes. In-fact, US had already achieved elimination in 1951. Office of malaria control (predecessor of CDC) had worked tirelessly and had sprayed DDT wherever it could. Mosquito was no-longer invincible.

In October 1960, World Health Organization conceived the postal stamp plan. World Health Assembly in New Delhi in February 1961 endorsed the plan. It took us another twelve months to execute it. Next year all continents, except Antarctica had their stamps. Some of these (from 58 countries so far !!) are available with me. Let’s start from South Asia and travel east in our global journey !!

Stamping out malaria

Indeed, world had united. An article in a medical journal on malaria, beautifully calls 1962 collection as an omnibus. While Africa was not an initial target for eradication, postage stamps were issued by various countries and territories in this region as well. This philately campaign was also called “Stamp-out malaria”. Philately material also included miniature sheets, and imperforate issues as well.

Lets spray and Kill em all

Scientists such as Ross, Finley, Jamot and others had established role of vectors in transmission of various diseases. Getting rid of these mosquitoes was tough.

In 1939, scientists in Switzerland discovered insecticidal properties of DDT. In Europe, we sprayed DDT in marshes and inside the houses, and it had an incredible killing effect on mosquitoes. Vector control became a key weapon in our eradication efforts. This strategy is depicted in some postage stamps, throughout 1960s. Later in 1970s, countries would ban DDT for agricultural use due to its environmental effects.

1969 – Eradication abandoned

While global malaria eradication campaign reduced malaria transmission in many countries, and achieved a near eradication from other – this campaign was abandoned in 1969. There were a couple of reasons for this failure. First, it was tough to have much of an impact in Africa. We never made a serious eradication attempt in Africa, as it was perceived not to be feasible. Mosquitos were becoming resistant to DDT. Plasmodium species that causes malaria, was also becoming chloroquine resistant. These setbacks, led to a re-think of an ambitious target.

Unmet challenge

Today about 240 million individuals get malaria world-wide, and more than 600,000 of them die. About 95% of disease as well as mortality burden is in Africa. Half of all malaria deaths occur in just four countries – Nigeria, Congo, Tanzania and Mozambique. WHO maintains a list of countries that are malaria free. In 2021, the year of the COVID-19 pandemic, China was declared as malaria free.

Please see above , malaria messages on postal stationary from India 1978-1990s as a slideshow

In 2016, India launched a “Zero malaria – target 2030” campaign. India represents 3% of global malaria burden, and new cases have reduced by about 50% since 2017. In current times focus of malaria-control efforts are on identification and treatment, in addition to vector control.

We are more than 60 years past the postal malaria epidemic of 1962. While we moved from eradication to control, the list of countries where no malaria is now seen, is gradually on a rise. We have reduced global malaria deaths. Hopefully it may be a disease of the past, in more and more countries, in a few more years.