You Can Make a Difference on World Malaria Day

Although malaria was eliminated from the United States in the early 1950s, it is still a leading cause of death and disease worldwide. In Africa, a child dies from malaria every 60 seconds. More than 3 billion people live in areas at risk of malaria transmission in 106 countries and territories.

Malaria is caused by a parasite carried by the Anopheles mosquito. People with malaria typically are very sick with high fevers, shaking chills and flu-like illness, and they can die if they do not receive proper medical treatment. Pregnant women and children under 5 who have little to no immunity are more likely to become severely ill and die.

A bed net is a net that hangs above a sleeping space, usually a bed or mat, and provides a physical barrier between the malaria-carrying mosquito and the person at risk of getting the disease. 

The CDC Foundation's Bed Nets for Children Program enables Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) teams to distribute insecticide-treated bed nets to children and families who are most at risk for contracting malaria. To celebrate World Malaria Day 2014, the CDC Foundation is contributing 6,500 bed nets from donations to the Bed Nets for Children Program for CDC to distribute in Western Kenya.

You can help make a difference on World Malaria Day!  Make a gift to the Bed Nets for Children Program, so that CDC can continue to provide bed nets to families in Kenya and other areas impacted by malaria. Every $5 will help donate an insecticide-treated bed net that will protect up to three children from malaria.  

Learn more about the Bed Nets for Children Program and CDC’s malaria work.