About Malaria
The Problem: Fatal night biters
For many people in Canada, mosquitoes are a symbol of summer: an itchy nuisance at the park or around the camp fire. But for millions of people around the world, mosquitoes are deadly and carry a disease responsible for one million deaths every year. Imagine having to think about that when you step out into your backyard or go camping.
Malaria affects 300 million people worldwide each year and kills more than one million every year.
Malaria is a parasitic disease caused by a one-celled parasite called Plasmodium. The parasite is transmitted through the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito. The disease occurs in countries in South and Central America, the Caribbean, Central and Southeast Asia, the Western Pacific and throughout Africa. The malaria burden is considered highest in sub-Saharan Africa - suffering from 90% of all malaria fatalities.
The After Bite
Malaria symptoms usually appear about 9 to 14 days after the infectious mosquito bite. Imagine a really bad flu—fever, headache, vomiting and extreme weakness.
If drugs are not accessible or if the parasites are resistant to them, the impact of the infection can be severe: coma, lifelong brain damage, paralysis and even death. The parasites simply take over the body, infecting and destroying red blood cells and clogging the capillaries that carry blood to the brain (cerebral malaria) or other vital organs.
The Impact
Children, with their small bodies and immature immune systems, are particularly vulnerable to severe illness and death. In fact, every 30 seconds a child dies of malaria.
Malaria is the single biggest killer of African children under the age of five and accounts for one in five of all childhood deaths in Africa.
Malaria in pregnant women can lead to low birth weight, anaemia and a greater risk of death to their newborn babies.
If children survive, malaria can undermine their development and leave them with persistent anaemia, lifelong brain damage or paralysis. In severe cases of cerebral malaria, surviving children can be left with epilepsy, spasticity, speech disorders and blindness.
The Solution: Bed Nets & You
Malaria-carrying mosquitoes usually strike at night, between 10pm and 4am. Sleeping under an insecticide-treated bed net has been shown to reduce malaria transmission by at least 50 per cent and the mortality of children under five by up to 20 per cent.
A simple solution and a huge impact: 1Net. 10 Bucks. Save Lives.
Spread the Net and make a difference.