April 25, 2008 marked the first World Malaria Day. Malaria affects between 350-500 million people worldwide every year and kills more than 1 million annually, largely in sub-Saharan Africa and among children under 5. In fact, the parasitic disease is the fourth largest killer of children under 5, accounting for almost 1 death in 10 worldwide – and nearly 1 death in 5 in sub-Saharan Africa. According to UNICEF and the World Health Organization, in some countries like Ghana, deaths from malaria account for close to one-third or more of total deaths to children under 5.

Young children are particularly vulnerable because they have not developed sufficient naturally acquired immunity to the microscopic parasite. A severe infection can kill a child within hours due to anemia, low birth-weight, epilepsy and neurological problems.



Even though malaria is deadly, it can be prevented and cured. Bed nets treated with insecticide can reduce child deaths by about 20 percent. Indoor residual spraying – applying a long-lasting insecticide to the inside of houses and other structures – is another strategy to combat malaria. Using antimalarial drug combination therapies like artemisin, derived from a plant, taken together with other medicines and improving access to effective antimalarial treatment – giving at least two doses of an effective antimalarial drug to women during pregnancy – are also critical ways of preventing and treating malaria.

While malaria exacts a staggering toll on young children and their families, other major causes of child death should not be forgotten. Nearly 40 percent of the nearly 10 million children under 5 who die every year succumb during the first month of life due to severe infections, birth asphyxia, and other causes – 26 percent in sub-Saharan Africa. Preventable, treatable diseases like pneumonia, diarrhea, and measles comprise another 40 percent of all deaths to young children worldwide and about the same share in sub-Saharan Africa.

Today make a buzz about malaria – and the other major killers of young children. Write your member of Congress and ask them to support the U.S. Commitment to Global Child Survival Act of 2007. The legislation would ramp up resources for newborn and child health programs, and make these solutions more available to the poorest families who need them.

For more information:

•  World Malaria Day 2008
Roll Back Malaria Partnership

•  Malaria: A Deadly Menace to Children (pdf)
US Coalition for Child Survival

•  A Closer Look at Malaria (pdf)
Christian Children's Fund

•  Malaria and Children: Progress in intervention coverage (pdf)
UNICEF

•  Malaria Eradication: Is it Possible? (pdf)
Global Health Council

•  Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI)
PATH

•  MACEPA Learning Community
Malaria Control and Evaluation Partnership in Africa (MACEPA)

•  The President's Malaria Initiative: Saving the Lives of Mothers and Children in Africa (pdf)
US Agency for International Development

•  Voices for a Malaria-Free Future
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs

Please note: Links provided above are public information and are intended as an educational resource only.
The US Coalition for Child Survival cannot verify information from these sites.