No child should die from malaria, but still many do. Malaria kills a child somewhere in the world every 40 seconds.
The majority of these children die within 48 hours of the onset of illness – first there is fever, headaches, and vomiting, followed by delirium, coma and eventual death. The tragic death of children from this deadly killer – malaria - can and must be stopped!
UNICEF’s Malaria Initiative is targeting nine sub-Saharan countries (Angola, Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Nigeria, Sudan, Kenya, and Zimbabwe.) Over 80% of the cases and deaths from malaria occur in Sub-Saharan Africa, where children under age five - whose lives barely have a chance to begin - suffer an estimated 90% of the burden
There are interventions to control malaria that are simple and effective….
We know that long-lasting insecticide nets distributed eqitably throughout these African countries can protect sleeping children from deadly mosquito bites. We know that the availability of rapid diagnostic testing in rural Africa can quickly detect the presence of malaria parasistes in human blood. And, when the test result is positive, we know that a three day course of highly effective drugs known as ACTs can save lives.
Learn more about our Malaria campaign:
