Happy World Malaria Day!
Let’s celebrate with a few quick stats!
- Malaria kills 781,000 people each year
- Ninety-one percent of malaria-related deaths occur in Africa, the majority of whom are children under 5 years of age
- In Africa, 40% of health resources are used to treat malaria
Wow, that’s really nothing to celebrate.
Growing up in the USA, I had certainly heard of Malaria, but can’t say I really understood the depth of the problem. Then I went to Uganda. I was standing in the village of Nakabango, talking to a 12 yr old. Listening to her story of how her father had died from Malaria and her mom died from AIDS. 12yrs old.
Then there was the 15 yr old boy in another village that asked me to take him home with me. Begged. Because his father had died from Malaria and his mom was very sick. With Malaria.
Malaria is very real. It’s also very preventable.
On this World Malaria Day, take a moment to check out some of these great organizations that focus efforts on eradicating this very deadly disease.
