Background to the Project
Malaria is one of the principal causes of death in the DRC affecting the entire population. 97% of Congolese live in areas of high transmission which means malaria is a consistent problem. The direct cost of an episode of simple malaria in the main city Kinshasa is $6-21 and $60-90 for severe malaria. However 71.3 per cent of the population live on less than one dollar per day. On average, children under 5 suffer 6 to 10 episodes of malaria each year, resulting in 47.3% of all deaths in this age group.
Malaria is not simply a medical problem, it also has profoundly negative socio-economic impacts. It is responsible for high absenteeism in schools (for the average child 49 days out of 225 in a school year) and in the work place (on average 10 days). Each episode of malaria in children costs the DRC economy $95. Therefore, malaria in the DRC is a key cause of poverty.
