Malaria

Malaria is a preventable and curable infectious disease caused by the Plasmodium parasite transmitted by the female Anopheles mosquito. More than 1 million of the 300-500 million cases of malaria each year result in death. Malaria is the leading cause of death for children under age five in sub-Saharan Africa, and a predominant killer of pregnant women and their unborn children. Malaria costs Africa an estimated $12 billion in lost productivity each year.

Malaria control combines the following primary strategies:

Indoor Residual Spraying
Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets
Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies
Intermittent Preventative Therapy for pregnant women

Worldmapper.org has created maps that correlate various indicators with country size. This site provides excellent visual aids for understanding the disproportionate burden of malaria on sub-Saharan Africa - both malaria cases and malaria deaths - and also the dearth of government spending on public health there.

You can also read more about malaria on our Frequently Asked Questions page and in the articles below.