Malaria Prevention
Every 60 Seconds, a Child Dies of a Mosquito Bite
It is the 3rd single biggest killer of children globally. Yet, malaria is 100% preventable and treatable, making all malaria deaths unacceptable.
Over 90% of malaria deaths occur in Africa, accounting for 1 in 5 childhood deaths there.
UNICEF is the world's largest provider of insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs), which help protect families from malaria. We delivered over 23 million long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) to 41 countries in 2010. More bed nets and more global funding for malaria programs are helping reduce malaria in many countries. Between 2004 and 2010, more than 400 million nets were delivered to malaria-endemic countries.
On April 25, World Malaria Day, we commemorate the global effort to eliminate malaria. Deaths from malaria have dropped by 25% between 2000 and 2010, which represent many thousands of individual children's lives saved.
Together, we can help provide the prevention tools and access to lifesaving treatment to end this deadly, preventable child-killer, and bring us closer to the day when zero children die from preventable causes.
Recent News on UNICEF's Fight Against Malaria
April 25, 2013
Despite Progress, 1,500 African Children Die Daily from Malaria
Malaria still kills 660,000 people every year, most of them African children. Insecticide-treated bed nets are critical to eliminating deaths from malaria—one of the leading killers of children in the world, says UNICEF on World Malaria Day. The number of bed nets in sub-Saharan Africa has increased to 145 million thanks to bulk buying, joint procurement, financing and extending manufacturing capacity. Since 2000, 1.1 million lives have been saved from malaria, and malaria mortality rates in Africa have declined by one-third.
April 25, 2011
World Malaria Day: preventable and treatable disease still a child killer
An estimated 800,000 people die every year from malaria. It is the third single biggest killer of children globally, with approximately 90 percent of these deaths occurring in Africa, where malaria accounts for about one in six child deaths. “This World Malaria Day—and every day—around 2,000 children will die from a mosquito bite,” said Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director. “We have effective measures to combat this deadly disease, and we must use them to save lives.”
February 5, 2011
Shortage of essential drugs amid crisis in Ivory Coast
Malaria is the leading cause of mortality among children under the age of five in this West African nation, and UNICEF is concerned that stocks of essential drugs to treat the deadly disease are in danger of running out in two to four weeks’ time. The concerns about shortages have emerged in the context of political uncertainty here, part of a national crisis that has gripped Ivory Coast since elections were held in late November.
