The most effective means of preventing malaria is sleeping under a mosquito net, specifically a long-lasting insecticide treated net (LLIN).
Malaria is transmitted by certain mosquitoes when they bite. These mosquitoes bite people to get a blood meal. The malaria parasite then passes from the infected mosquito to the person being bitten. They typically bite between 10 o'clock at night and two in the morning - and that's one of the most important things we have on our side: if we can protect people in affected areas when they sleep at night we have a very good chance of preventing them contracting malaria.
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Each net costs about $2.00, lasts for 3 to 4 years, and protects on average two people.
The statistics are well known given the scale of the problem. Every ~600 nets we put over heads and beds, one child doesn't die and 500 to 1,000 cases of malaria are prevented.
Every single net matters
Every $2 donation matters because each $2 buys a net that protects two people when they sleep at night from the bites of malaria-carrying mosquitoes, that would otherwise cause severe illness, or worse.
And every $2 is put to work straight away. This is because the funds requested of us for approved net distribution programmes is greater than the funding we have available so we are always able to fund more nets to close the gap.