About the Disease
By the Numbers
Nearly 1 million people die from malaria each year
3.3 billion people around the world are at-risk for contracting malaria
More than 85% of the deaths that occur from malaria are in Africa
(Source: WHO)
Malaria is considered one of the oldest diseases known to man. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that malaria is 4,000 years old, while other groups have suggested it may have evolved some 80,000 years ago. While its specific age is debated, its deadly effects on human beings are not.
Malaria is a disease that is spread by mosquito bite, and can cause fever, headache, coma or even death. Some 3.3 billion people around the world are threatened by malaria, and nearly 1 million people around the world die from malaria each year, according to estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO): Africa holds the highest-concentration—89%—of the world’s malaria-related deaths. And, across the globe, children remain most vulnerable to the disease: 85% of all deaths from malaria are of children.
So, imagine the devastating grip that malaria holds over children in African countries, such as poverty-stricken Mali. Malaria is the leading cause of death and of outpatient visits for children under five in Mali, according to MalariaJournal.com. Estimates suggest that 90% of Mali’s entire population is at risk for contracting the disease.
Malaria affects so many because it is prolific: a bite from a nocturnal Anopheles mosquito, a species particularly prevalent in warm, tropical climates, can infect a human with tens of thousands of malaria parasites that continue to reproduce and infest red blood cells until they burst. A bitten person may immediately experience flu-like symptoms, such as fever, headache, and vomiting. In the long term, however, the symptoms can be much more serious, and include anemia, coma, even death.
How the Bite the Bug Campaign Helps
With its Bite the Bug campaign, Islamic Relief has launched a multi-pronged program in Mali to reduce the rates of infection and death from malaria. Teams are working to prevent infections through the following efforts:
- Expanded immunization campaigns
- Distribution of bed nets to keep children and pregnant women safe from bites as they sleep, as malaria-transmitting mosquitos bite at night
- Treatment of curtains with insecticide to keep mosquitos out of houses
- Education on preventing, recognizing and treating malaria
Meanwhile, those who become ill are receiving lifesaving care:
- Rapid screening to determine whether malaria is causing symptoms
- Upon diagnosis, immediate treatment with artemisinin-based combination therapy
Islamic Relief’s Bite the Bug campaign is helping keep more than 10,000 people safe.
