Why KMO 2009 in West Africa

• Each year approximate 515 million cases of malaria occur worldwide, and over one million people die, most of them young children in sub-Saharan Africa.

• In sub Saharan Africa with high malaria transmission, an estimated 1 million people die of malaria – over 2700 deaths per day, or 2 deaths per minute.

• Malaria is the highest cause of death in children in sub-Saharan Africa, after perinatal conditions (conditions occurring around the time of birth), lower respiratory infections (pneumonias), and diarrheal diseases.
  

• Malaria forms a huge part of widespread poverty in Africa. It causes a loss of almost 2% of economic growth, A 20% reduction in GNP after 15years and short term benefits control of up to $12billion each year. Very staggering indeed! If we can fight Mosquitoes (the cause of Malaria) Africa’s development will be accelerated because family incomes will rise.

• "Malaria is hurting the living standards of Africans today and is also preventing the improvement of living standards for future generations," said Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director General of the World Health Organization. "This is an unnecessary and preventable handicap on the continent's economic development." According to statistical estimates in 2000 , sub-Saharan Africa's GDP would have been up to 32% greater that year if malaria had been eliminated 35 years ago. This would represent over $100 billion added to sub-Saharan Africa's current GDP of $300 billion. This extra $100 billion would be, by comparison,nearly five times greater than all development aid provided to Africa the year before. (Note: Nothing has change about this statistics till now.We are in 2009)