Friday, April 25, 2008

Today is World Malaria Day

Today is the first-ever World Malaria Day, which organizers hope will raise our collective awareness about this disease. The mosquito-borne illness kills more than a million people a year, mostly infants, children, and pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa. According to the World Health Organization, that's one child every 30 seconds. These deaths occur despite the fact that malaria is a preventable and treatable condition.

Insecticide-treated bed nets keep the skeeters off sleepers and reduce the rate of infection. You can donate one--heck, they cost a paltry 10 bucks apiece! Donate a few!--at Malaria No More, here.

[Editor's note: And if you are on Facebook, please join in Project Blackout: One Million Faces Against Malaria today.]

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