Guest Post by Kathryn Dunmore, Red Cross Blogger
Every 45 seconds, a child dies somewhere in the world from malaria and 3.3 billion people are still at risk from this deadly disease. It continues to kill nearly 700,000 people every year, primarily children under the age of five, despite the fact that there are options for treatment and prevention.
Today, the Canadian Red Cross marks World Malaria Day and the need for continued investment in controlling and eliminating this deadly disease. Since 2002, more than 30 million people protected with mosquito nets distributed by Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers, and malaria mortality rates have fallen by more than 25%.
Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have been actively working to scale-up malaria prevention, diagnosis and treatment at a community level through its network of volunteers worldwide.
Technology and innovation are also at the core of the Red Cross approach, including the use of social media as well as mobile technology to send millions of SMS messages to households with information on how malaria is transmitted, how to recognize the symptoms, treatment options and simple steps for prevention.
See how global partnerships are working towards eliminating malaria throughout the world
here.