What is Malaria
The Problem
Did you know that between 350 and 500 million people get malaria each year and more than one million die—mainly kids in Africa who are less than five years old? In fact, a child in Africa dies from malaria every 30 seconds! Malaria has been defeated in the United States but still threatens roughly 40% of the world's population.
The good news is that malaria is both preventable and treatable.
The Solution
Scientists are working hard to develop a vaccine, but for now the only way to control malaria is through a comprehensive approach: long-lasting, insecticide-treated bed nets, getting rid of mosquito breeding areas, indoor spraying to kill mosquitoes, treating infected people with medicine, and educating African families about how to control malaria.
The Net
Bed nets protect sleeping people from mosquitoes when the mosquitoes are the most active (at night, between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m.). Most nets can last up to five years and cover at least two people. Talk to your parents about providing a family in Africa with a $10 bed net. You can help save a life—maybe even a kid your age!
For more in-depth information, please visit The Disease and The Solution and the Educational Materials Created with Scholastic section.