Malaria not only directly endangers health, but also creates a vicious cycle of inequalities. The most vulnerable persons are pregnant women, infants, children under five years of age, refugees, migrants, and indigenous peoples, according to the United Nations agency.

WHO draws attention to the fact that the African Region bore the disease’s heaviest burden, with the most mortal cases.

One of the reasons for inequality is that these groups of people do not have access to the health services they need, because many barriers prevent them from doing so. This hinders progress towards a malaria-free world.

Malaria is a disease caused by parasites that kills between 700,000 and 2.7 million people each year, more than 75 percent of whom are African children living in areas of high transmission.

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