Though eliminated in some parts of the world decades ago, malaria remains a significant public health problem threatening half the world’s population. The availability of simple, cost-effective interventions to prevent and treat the disease, including long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs), has led to a 60 percent decrease in malaria mortality rates since 2000. Malaria disproportionately affects the poor and most marginalized communities as they are high risk and have the least access to effective services. Due to more vulnerable immune systems, children under 5 years old, pregnant women, and people living with HIV and AIDS are more susceptible to malaria.

World Vision is following through on its commitment to fight malaria until it is defeated. Prevention and treatment for malaria is woven into our core global health strategy – called the 7-11 strategy. This means that, in areas where malaria is an issue, we work to assure that families – especially mothers and children under age 5 – are sleeping under a long-lasting insecticide treated bednet. We also work to strengthen health systems to make sure families have access to proper diagnosis, treatment and care. Through our water, sanitation and hygiene interventions we address the sanitation issues that create breeding grounds for malaria-carrying mosquitos.

"By partnering with the Ministry of Health and communities to extend the availability of insecticide treated bednets and ensuring that these are used effectively through behavior change promotion, we could see deaths from malaria reduced to zero in our programme areas.  Let's get out there, partner effectively and finish the job!"  - Martha Newsome, World Vision Partnership Leader, Sustainable Health Group 

WV MALARIA INVESTMENTS THROUGH THE GLOBAL FUND

• Distributing more than 9.1 million long-lasting insecticide treated bed nets to 13 countries.

• including training almost 41,164 people in malaria service delivery.

• Educating community health workers to recognise and equip families for prevention and early 

• treatment of malaria, aided with mobile phones for accessing modern medicine in rural areas.

• Increasing access to artemisinin-combination therapy for children and mothers with malaria. 

World Malaria Day: 25 April

The theme for World Malaria Day (25 April) is End Malaria For Good.  This World Malaria Day, take a little time to celebrate the progress we have made and to learn more. Here are a few things you can do:      

• Read the World Health Organization’s fact sheet on malaria.
• Understand World Vision’s core health interventions in the 7-11 Field Guide.
• Read the 2015 Global Fund Report, which features some of the work we have done to address malaria through Global Fund grants.
• Join the World Vision Global Health Community of Practice - a network of Health in Development stakeholders around the globe - peers and partners inside and outside of World Vision.

More from WV on Malaria:

• Dave Toycen, World Vision Canada's CEO, writes about contracting malaria on a 2013 trip.
• Malaria Programming - stories from the field
• Community Case Management - a World Vision project approach
• World Vision's 7-11 Health Strategy: Malaria Prevention and Treatment
• World Vision Malaria Programming 2015 Publication

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