World Mosquito Day: 5 Facts About Malaria

Over 216 million people were diagnosed with malaria in 2010. On this World Mosquito Day, celebs have teamed up with Malaria No More (and CollegeHumor) to launch Malarious – a collection of 24 comedy videos raising awareness about the disease.

Stars like Aubrey Plaza, Adam Scott, and Brooklyn Decker are among those that have lent their voices to the fight.

World Mosquito Day was created on August 20, 1897 when Dr. Ronald Ross discovered that the malaria parasite (Plasmodium) was transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected female mosquito.  

Symptoms of the disease include: fever, headache, vomiting, and usually appear between 10-15 days after being bitten. Malaria can become life-threatening (it disrupts the blood supply to vital organs) if not treated.

Here are 5 facts about the (preventable and treatable) disease that affects almost half of the world’s population.

1. Over 655,000 people died from malaria in 2010. More than 90 percent of these deaths were in Africa.
2. 35 countries (30 in sub-Saharan Africa and 5 in Asia) account for 98 percent of global malaria deaths.
3. Malaria is the 5^th leading cause of death from infectious diseases globally.
4. It’s the second leading cause of death from infectious diseases in Africa, after HIV/AIDS.
5. Sleeping under a mosquito net cuts malaria cases in children by half and reduce child deaths by 20 percent.

Run an awareness campaign about this issue at your school. GO