Malaria: Overview

Saving Lives

Every thirty seconds an African child dies of malaria. At least one million infants and children under five in sub-Saharan Africa die each year from the mosquito-borne disease.

A Global Leader in
Fighting Malaria

USAID has been committed to saving lives from malaria since the 1950s. The Agency works closely with national governments to build their capacity to prevent and treat the disease. USAID also invests in the discovery and development of new antimalarial drugs and malaria vaccines.

In addition to its ongoing malaria programs, the Agency also manages programs through the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI), a $1.2 billion, five-year initiative to control malaria in Africa announced by President Bush in June 2005. PMI is a collaborative U.S. Government effort led by USAID, in conjunction with the Department of Health and Human Services (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), the Department of State, the White House, and others.

The goal of the Initiative is to reduce malaria deaths by half in 15 target countries in Africa by reaching 85 percent of the most vulnerable groups — children under 5 years of age and pregnant women — with proven and effective malaria prevention and treatment control measures. PMI supports control measures including insecticide-treated bed nets, spraying with insecticides in communities, lifesaving antimalarial drugs, and treatment to prevent women from getting malaria.

Jamila Hassan, Team Leader of Zanzibar Urban District Indoor Residual Sprayers, has had malaria 15 times. Now, she helps to protect members of her community from the disease. Read more...

USAID's Strategy for Combating Malaria

USAID is a member of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, a global initiative — made up of more than 90 partners — whose goal is to halve the burden of malaria by 2010. The Agency's expanded response to malaria supports the international goals and targets of the Abuja Summit [PDF, 68KB], the Millennium Declaration, and the PMI, and focuses on six key areas:

• Preventing malaria infection and illness
• Promoting effective treatment of malaria illness
• Protecting pregnant women from malaria
• Responding to the emergence and spread of drug-resistant malaria
• Addressing the needs of populations living in areas of complex humanitarian emergencies
• Developing new tools and approaches for malaria prevention and control
  

President's Malaria Initiative (PMI)

• Read the latest news and information on the PMI
  • Subscribe to the PMI E-Newsletter
  • Voice from the Field
    Read success stories, testimonials, and other accounts of PMI-related activities.
• Fast Facts on the PMI [PDF, 74KB]
• The Malaria Communities Program (MCP)
  Reaching out to build lasting new community partnerships in the fight against malaria
  

For more information on USAID's malaria programs and the PMI, please contact USAID at chthomas@usaid.gov.