Malaria 101
About Malaria
Malaria is caused by a parasite of the genus plasmodium that infects the Anopheles mosquito. It is then spread to humans through mosquito bites from an infected insect.
In 2024, The World Health Organization estimated 282 million malaria cases and 610,000 malaria deaths in 83 countries. The WHO African Region continues to bear the greatest burden, with 11 countries accounting for about two thirds of global cases and deaths. ¹
Many of the tools and approaches needed to fight malaria—including insecticide-treated bed nets, rapid diagnostic tests, effective medicines, and access to treatment—already exist and have been instrumental in delivering the progress achieved to date. Malaria cases continue to rise in many high-burden countries, highlighting the urgent need to ensure that the right tools and health services are reaching people who need them.
How is Malaria Transmitted?
Malaria is transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. It is preventable and curable.
There are five parasite species that cause malaria in humans. Two of these species – Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax – pose the greatest threat.
MALARIA 101 →
Where Does Malaria Occur?
Malaria transmission occurs in 80 countries. Altitude and climatic factors including temperature, humidity, and rainfall impact where malaria spreads. Malaria is typically transmitted in tropical and subtropical areas, where: Anopheles mosquitoes can survive and multiply, and, Malaria parasites can complete their growth cycle in the mosquitoes ("extrinsic incubation period").
Most malaria cases occur in Sub-Saharan Africa due to ideal climate patterns and stretched public health infrastructure. This is why an astounding 95% of malaria deaths occur in Sub-Saharan Africa (approximately 580,000 people a year). While Sub-Saharan Africa faces the greatest malaria burden, transmission also occurs in parts of Oceania (such as Papua New Guinea) and in parts of Central and South America and Southeast Asia.
But malaria knows no borders. The Anopheles mosquito still lives in most temperate countries, including the United States. Every year the United States sees 2,000 cases of malaria, mostly from travelers visiting endemic-regions, but in 2023 there were 10 domestically sourced cases across 4 states. View WHO's Map of Where Malaria Occurs →
Prevent it.
Sleep under insecticide-treated nets or use indoor residual spraying, take preventive antimalarial medication when traveling to endemic areas, and share accurate prevention information in your community.
Treat it.
Seek medical care as soon as you notice symptoms. Early testing and treatment are what keep malaria from becoming severe or fatal. View Malaria Symptoms →
Beat it.
Malaria Partners International funds and supports Rotarians and Rotaractors leading malaria prevention and control projects into their own communities: ITN distributions, Community Health Worker trainings, school-based education programs, and more.
Rotary, Rotarians, and the fight to end malaria.
Partners for a Malaria-Free Zambia
In 2021, Rotary International, World Vision, and the Gates Foundation announced the launch of Rotary’s first Program of Scale, Partners for a Malaria-Free Zambia, a two-phase, $6 million investment to train, equip, and deploy Community Health Workers (CHWs) in Zambia. The program trained 2,500 Community Health Workers. Thanks to these workers, 1.25 million people have improved access to malaria testing and treatment in their communities.
Since the grant funding ended, the structures, capacities, and relationships built during the program have endured. The 10 target districts have continued to support the activities begun by the program and have helped solve local challenges, adapted their systems, and sustained the program’s momentum. The activities have transitioned from donor-led implementation to locally led action reinforced by local Rotary clubs, highlighting an evolving model of community-based health care in which government agencies, other groups, and Rotary work in tandem.
Rotary Healthy Communities Challenge
Building on the success of Partners for a Malaria-Free Zambia (PMFZ), Rotary International announced the Rotary Healthy Communities Challenge (RHCC).
This initiative will provide $30 million to combat malaria, diarrheal diseases, and respiratory infections, which are the leading causes of death among children under five years old, in four Sub-Saharan African countries: Zambia, Nigeria, Mozambique, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
RHCC aims to reach an estimated 3.5 million people in 700,000 households.
In addition to treating the targeted diseases, it will engage communities, raise awareness about the importance of treating disease early, and improve the collection and management of data. The latter are essential for accurate health reporting and informed decision making.
Community Impact Grants
Our Community Impact Grants program supports Rotary clubs and committees in malaria endemic regions to take direct action to control the spread of malaria in communities and reduce severe health outcomes. We believe that Rotarians are best poised to lead community projects that combat malaria at the household level. By working together, Rotary will build a future where no one suffers from malaria, embodying Rotary’s ethos of service above self.
Since 2020, we have funded over 60 Rotarian-led projects in 17 primarily sub-Saharan African countries (Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe) totaling $546,428.
You Can Get Involved!
Request a meeting with our team to learn more about our work and see how Rotarians taking action.
Malaria Partners International
Our Mission: To ignite an international Rotarian campaign to end malaria.
Malaria Partners International
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