Rollback Malaria

Malaria kills more than 1 million people a year, with 90% of these deaths occurring in Africa, mostly in children under 5 years of age. Approximately 3,000 people die from malaria each day in this region, most of them children. Prompt and effective treatment of malaria, which can reduce death rates by 50%, should be included in routine child and maternal health care. Insecticide spraying, bed nets, and other cost-effective measures can help prevent malaria. Today only two percent of children in Africa sleep under a bed net treated with insecticide According to the report of the Commission on Macroeconomics and Health, up to US$2 billion will be needed each year to achieving the goal of halving the burden of malaria by 2010. Currently, only US$600 million is being spent.

The Epidemic

Malaria, one of the world's most common and serious tropical diseases, is a protozoal infection transmitted to humans by mosquitoes.
Each year, malaria causes at least one million deaths and an additional 300 to 500 million clinical cases, the majority of which occur in the world's poorest countries.
More than 41% of the world's population is at risk of acquiring malaria, and the proportion increases yearly due to deteriorating health systems, growing drug and insecticide resistance, climate change, and war.
High-risk groups include children, pregnant women, travelers, refugees, displaced persons, and laborers entering endemic areas.

Impact

Malaria increases poverty by significantly reducing productivity and social stability. Rural and poor populations carry the overwhelming burden of malaria because access to effective treatment is extremely limited. In rural areas, the infection rates are highest during the rainy season-a time of intense agricultural activity. Research indicates that families affected by malaria clear 60% less crops than other families. Malaria has been estimated to cost Africa more than US$ 12 billion every year in lost GDP, even though it could be controlled for a fraction of that sum.