Soglay, Liberia – May 16, 2011
A baby sleeps under an improvised malaria net.
Following the post-election violence and subsequent tension in Ivory Coast, more than a hundred thousand people fled to Liberia. The vast majority chose to stay with Liberian families and communities, particularly in Grand Gedeh and Nimba Counties. This photo was taken in Soglay, in Nimba County, where MSF runs a mobile clinic to reach the dispersed refugee population. Malaria is a key concern; numbers are rapidly rising due to the rainy season – with more than one third of consultations for malaria, including severe malaria leading to anaemia. MSF runs mobile clinics to more than 20 locations along the eastern border counties of Liberia to assist the refugees..

Ngozi – March 2010
A child being prepared to be tested with the malaria rapid blood test, MSF Hospital of Ngozi. Northern Burundi has been grappling with an increased number of malaria patients since the start of the year. The MSF teams have been cooperating with Burundi authorities to fight the disease’s spread by treating patients and distributing mosquito nets to prevent new infections.

Kayanza, Burundi – March 2010
Screening: some women are measuring their temperature at a mobile clinic on the hills of the province of Kayanza. Northern Burundi has been grappling with an increased number of malaria patients since the start of the year. The MSF teams have been cooperating with Burundi authorities to fight the disease’s spread by treating patients and distributing mosquito nets to prevent new infections.

Ngozi, Northern Burundi – February 2010
Two doctors evaluate the conditions of a patient at the MSF Hospital of Ngozi. Northern Burundi has been grappling with a malaria epidemic since the start of the year. The MSF teams have been cooperating with Burundi authorities to fight the disease’s spread by treating patients and distributing mosquito nets to prevent new infections.

Futa, Sierra Leone – December 2007
Saowal holds her six-month old child, Bonard, while waiting for results of a blood test to find out if he has been infected with malaria. Malaria is the number one killer in Sierra Leone. Every 30 seconds a child in Africa dies from malaria, adding up to about one million every year.

Futa, Sierra Leone – décembre 2007
Saowal porte son enfant, Bonard, âgé de 6 mois, alors qu’elle attend les résultats du test sanguin qui déterminera si elle est atteinte de paludisme; Futa, Sierra Leone. Le paludisme est le tueur numéro un en Sierra Leone. Tous les 30 secondes un enfant meurt du paludisme en Afrique, pour un total d’environ un million chaque année.

Narena, Mali – November 2007
Many children examined in the Narena health centre are suffering from fever. Some types of fever can seem just like malaria. A rapid screening test using a drop of blood makes it possible to verify cases of malaria in 15 minutes. Every year, 2 million people – 80% of whom are in sub-Saharan Africa – die of malaria. This disease, which is endemic in Mali, is the major cause of illness and death in children under 5 years of age.

Narena, Mali – novembre 2007
Plusieurs enfants examinés au centre de santé de Narena sont fiévreux. D’autres types de fièvres rappellent le paludisme. Un test rapide de dépistage permet de confirmer les cas de paludisme en 15 minutes grâce à une gouttelette de sang. Chaque année, 2 millions de personnes meurent du paludisme, dont 80% en Afrique Subsaharienne. Endémique au Mali, cette maladie est la principale cause de morbidité et de mortalité chez les enfants de moins de 5 ans.

Two babies with severe malaria in Gerihun clinic, Sierra Leone. They are waiting to to be taken by ambulance to Gondama Hospital near Bo. Malaria is endemic in Sierra Leone and is the number one killer, with children under five and pregnant women the most vulnerable.

In the Gondama Referral Centre, children under five represent 75 percent of the total admissions, 92 percent of these children are there because of malaria or related complications. Every month an average of 7,000 confirmed cases are treated with an increase up to 10,000 during the peak malaria season.