We have spent a lot of time this summer trying to learn more
about Zambia. This, of course, includes
learning about some of the challenges we will be witnessing. We recently had a chance to check out an
exhibit at the Field Museum in Chicago put on by the Malaria Consortium. Through a stark collection of photographs and
informative captions, we learned a lot about this devastating but completely
eradicable disease. Here are just a few
things that stuck out to us:
- Though it has been eliminated in most of the developed world, malaria is still a leading cause of death in much of Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia
- In sub-Saharan Africa, a child dies from malaria every 45 seconds
- Many black market medications are watered down for maximum profit; these counterfeits leave people sick and actually strengthen the malaria virus
- A simple mosquito net can significantly reduce a child's risk of infection; a reliable net with insecticide costs about $10
To learn more about the malaria epidemic and the
people who are fighting to stop it, check out malariaconstortium.org.
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