Malaria kills African child every 30 seconds

Every 30 seconds somewhere in Africa another child is killed by malaria, while nearly half a billion people are affected across the globe by the disease, experts have revealed.

The Christian Children's Fund has indicated that there needs to be far more education about malaria in order to decrease these numbers.

David Shanklin, senior programme health specialist at the organisation, said that the area most severely affected by malaria is sub-Saharan Africa, while around 90 per cent of deaths around the world from malaria occur in the continent.

"Education is the foundation for prevention, but many vulnerable families do not know how malaria is transmitted or how to prevent or treat it," he stated.

"Less than 25 per cent of people who need prevention and treatment services actually receive them," he added.

A global drive to increase awareness and treatment of malaria is underway as World Malaria Day approaches on April 25th.

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