Malaria is a potentially fatal infection of the blood caused by a protozoan parasite called Plasmodium. An infection occurs when a person is bitten by a mosquito that carries the parasite.

Each year, 350 million to 500 million people are infected with malaria. African children under the age of 5 account for 75 percent of those who die. Sadly, nearly everyone living in tropical Africa has a malaria episode at least once a year.

How does malaria affect children?

• Malaria can ravage a child's entire body, causing fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, joint aches and general pain. Left untreated, the disease can develop into cerebral malaria, affecting the brain. When this happens, a child can slip into a coma and eventually die. The disease is so deadly in sub-Saharan Africa that malaria is blamed for one in five childhood deaths.
• If a child survives, he or she can still suffer loss. Malaria often keeps children out of school and they lose valuable educational opportunities.
• Malaria can cause unborn children to die. Women who contract malaria during pregnancy have serious health problems. They run the risk of maternal anemia, spontaneous abortions and stillborn children. Their children may suffer from impaired fetal growth, premature birth or low birth weight.