As the world marks World Malaria Day on April 25th, we stand in solidarity with those across the globe who continue to struggle with and against this entirely preventable disease.
For hundreds of millions of people in the developing world, the threat of malaria is both real and constant. Though we have known how to prevent and treat the disease for over a hundred years, more than 500,000 people still died from malaria in 2013. Young children and those with compromised immune systems are particularly vulnerable to this entirely curable illness.
Yet World Malaria Day also celebrates the incredible gains the world has made against this disease. Deaths have fallen 47 percent globally since 2000 and four countries have been declared malaria-free in the last eight years. Mosquito nets and advanced treatment therapies have played critical roles in fighting the infection.
USAID is on-the-ground reducing the risk of mosquito-borne transmission of the disease by distributing bed nets and reducing breeding grounds. The agency also provides lifesaving medicine to those diagnosed and preventive care to close to 125 million pregnant women most at-risk of contracting malaria. The President’s Malaria Initiative focuses on 19 of the hardest hit sub-Saharan African and Asian nations – and aims to substantially reduce the transmission rate and work towards stopping this disease once and for all.
Here at the USGLC, we’re also proud to stand alongside our many members that are invested in the fight against malaria. Check out these stories to find out how they are helping to #DefeatMalaria.
ExxonMobil promotes educational resources for treating and preventing malaria:
Learn the life cycle of #malaria on this interactive @UniofOxford app today http://t.co/TepasQpiwA #DefeatMalaria pic.twitter.com/9Uyy5ZeAes
— ExxonMobil (@exxonmobil) April 24, 2015
RTI International has ensured 2.5 million nets were distributed in Guinea:
Insecticide-treated bed nets are one of the most effective methods for preventing malaria #DefeatMalaria http://t.co/iCsLBJapwQ
— RTI | Int’l Dev (@RTI_INTL_DEV) April 23, 2015
PSI works to fight against fake medicine, which increases the risk of drug-resistant malaria:
Pandemic of fake #malaria meds harming the most vulnerable http://t.co/Qb1XAUTuCe via @ghn_news #worldmalariaday pic.twitter.com/HnKkYPFD36
— PSI (@PSIimpact) April 23, 2015
The UN Foundation is leading an effort to distribute over a million mosquito nets:
#WorldMalariaDay is April 25. Take the #MillionNetsPledge with @NothingButNets & protect #refugees from #malaria! http://t.co/BJPJUWY53l
— UN Foundation (@unfoundation) April 21, 2015