Monday, May 19, 2008



Burundi is a country the size of Rhode Island and located in sub-Saharan Africa. It gained independence from Belgium in 1962 only to go through several civil wars. Currently, it is experiencing a time of peace and rebuilding its infrastructure, including its departments of health. The current health threats of most significance are HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Of these three, malaria is the leading cause of death for children in developing countries. An estimated 700,000 – 2.7 million persons die of malaria around the world each year with 75% of them being children. (CDC – Malaria Facts) In Burundi in 2000, there were 48,098 cases of malaria per 100,000 people. From the period of 1999-2004, the percent of children under five with an untreated bed net was 3%, those with an insecticide treated net (ITN) were 1%, and those with a malarial fever receiving medication were 31%. (UNICEF)

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