Environmental health, biological medium and malaria (Benin)

There is no 100% effective vaccine against malaria, but intensification of prevention measures and control (especially the use of mosquito nets and indoor fumigation with residual insecticides) have much reduced morbidity and mortality from malaria in the past 7 years.

In sub-Saharan Africa –particularly in western and southern countries- 90% of cases of malaria and 92% of deaths from it are concentrated, Nigeria being the country with the highest number of deaths from malaria. Under 5s and pregnant women run the biggest risk of catching and dying from malaria. In addition, malaria is also responsible for a third of cases of low birthweight in endemic areas.

In 2015, the rate of malaria in Benin (385 per 1,000 people at risk) is over three times that for our species as a whole (98.6 per 1,000), and each year causes the death of around 429,000 people. However, 75% of its children now sleep under a mosquito net treated with insecticide, which reflects a better situation than in other sub-Saharan countries where the average rate of protected children is 44%.

Photo:  Ramón Herrera