Mozambique, Felismino Mutitire sits on a bed with his son and his wife, Flora, who is breastfeeding their 18-month-old baby with a mosquito net behind them. Malaria kills a child every 30 seconds, but a treated net can prevent infections.
UNICEF/ HQ00-0159/Giacomo Pirozzi
Malaria kills a child every 30 seconds, and affects the lives of 3.2 billion people in 107 countries at risk of the disease. It infects 350-500 million people each year, killing 1 million, mostly children in Africa. Ninety per cent of malaria deaths occur in Africa, where it accounts for about one in five of all childhood deaths. In fact, children under 5 in Africa account for 75 per cent of deaths from the disease. Malaria is caused by a tiny parasite called Plasmodium, and can be passed on to people when they’re bitten by mosquitoes.
There’s no vaccine against malaria (vaccines protect against viruses, and malaria isn’t caused by a virus). But something as simple as sleeping under insecticide treated nets can reduce overall child mortality from malaria by 20 per cent. Unfortunately, many children, especially in Africa, continue to die from malaria as they do not sleep under insecticide-treated nets and are unable to access life-saving treatment within 24 hours of onset of symptoms. Most recent data on household use of insecticide-treated nets reveal low coverage rates of only around 5 per cent across Africa.
If children do catch malaria, they’re much more likely to survive if they get medical treatment quickly. Giving pregnant women treatment to prevent malaria can significantly reduce the number of babies born with a low birth weight, and can help to stop mothers from dying.
How UNICEF helps
UNICEF works to protect children from malaria by supporting and promoting the use of treated nets and quality antenatal care. Globally, UNICEF is the largest global provider of treated nets – obtaining and delivering over 24 million nets each year. UNICEF also helps supply essential anti-malarial drugs, working with governments and communities to improve the management of malaria- for example, providing Ethiopia with 7.3 million doses of malaria treatment, of which 3.9 million have already been distributed through the public health system.