Malaria Responsible for 50% of Under 5 Deaths in Niger

The World Health Organization is dispatching 100 000 antimalarial treatments to Niger, where peak malaria season has begun in the midst of a humanitarian crisis. Dr David Nabarro, Representative of the WHO Director-General for Health Action in Crises, says:

Even under ordinary conditions in Niger, 50% of all deaths among children under five are from malaria. Without appropriate measures the toll could rise even higher, because malnutrition makes children more likely to succumb to the disease. It also makes malaria less likely to be diagnosed, because it causes the symptoms of the disease to be less recognizable.