Facts & FAQ

Quick Facts and Results:

What is Malaria?
Malaria is an infectious disease caused by a parasite that infects red blood cells. It is carried by mosquitoes and transmitted when that mosquito bites the skin of a human. It is preventable and treatable. Signs of malaria are similar to that of the flu. People with severe cases of malaria suffer from kidney failure, bleeding problems, comas, and eventually death.

For more information on malaria, please see the Center for Disease Control webpage on malaria.

• About 500 million people become severely ill with the malaria every year
• About 1 million die every year because of the disease
• In Africa, one out of every five childhood deaths is due to the effects of malaria
• Malaria is the leading cause of childhood deaths in Africa
• A child dies of malaria every 30 seconds.