On Friday, June 3 at 19:30 GMT:
Every minute a child dies from malaria, a disease that affects infants and children on the African continent. And with so much recent focus on COVID-19, attention on parasitic diseases has decreasedlead to an increase in malaria cases and deaths in some countries.
In 2020, the World Health Organization estimates 627,000 people will die from mosquito-borne diseases. Africa is home to 96% of malaria deaths Children under the age of five account for about 80% of all malaria deaths in the region.
There are more ways to prevent the disease now, including the world’s first malaria vaccine introduced in 2021. The vaccine – called RTS, S – provides only one 30% reduction in the number of fatal malaria casesbut still considered a breakthrough.
Over the past two decades, the increased use of antimalarials and insecticide-treated bed nets has had a major impact on reducing the number of cases around the world. In 2021, China and El Salvador join nine other countries that have been certified as malaria-free by the WHO since 2015. In 2019, global health experts believe greater funding. and innovations in public health, disease could be wiped out as early as 2050.
In this episode of The Stream, we’ll talk to people who are working to end the spread of malaria.
In this episode of The Stream, we talk to:
Dr. Andrea Bosman
Director, WHO Global Malaria Program
Faith Osier, @FaithOsier
Chair of Malaria, Immunology & Immunization at Imperial College London
Meji Alabi, @mejialabi
Director & filmmaker
Saray Khumalo, @saraykhumalo
Explorers & Climbers
