Malaria is an acute febrile illness caused by Plasmodium parasites, which are spread to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. It is preventable and curable. However, without prompt diagnosis and effective treatment, a case of uncomplicated malaria can progress to a severe form of the disease, which is often fatal without treatment. According to the latest World malaria report, published in December 2022, malaria claimed the lives of an estimated 619 000 people in 2021, compared to 625 000 in 2020. There were some 247 million new cases of malaria in 2021 compared to 245 million in 2020. World Malaria Day 2023 will be marked under the theme “Time to deliver zero malaria: invest, innovate, implement”. Today there are reasons to be hopeful about 'zero malaria', in the form of two first generation vaccines that have recently been developed and may soon be rolled out.