Mosquitoes, while a nuisance for some, can be dangerous for many. They can carry debilitating and deadly diseases like malaria, especially in poor and remote communities in Africa and Asia. In fact, half of the world’s population lives in an area where a mosquito bite could lead to malaria. By working to end malaria abroad, we save millions of lives and also keep the disease from once again plaguing the U.S.
Women, as both patients and caregivers, bear the health, societal, and economic burden of malaria. But women are also leading the fight against this disease and the mosquitoes that spread it. From the community to the laboratory, women play essential roles they play in the fight against malaria-carrying mosquitoes. In this story on USAID Medium, meet six mosquito-fighting women whose work we support.
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- Chitan Keita: Assistant Entomologist in Mali
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- Anna Mary Auma: Entomology Field Assistant in Uganda
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- Regina Ama Nicol: Insectary Technician in Sierra Leone
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- Mimi Jilo: Community Mosquito Collector in Ethiopia
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- Louisa Antwi-Agyei: Lab Technician in Ghana
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- Dr. Seynabou Diedhiou: Research Associate in Senegal
More than 700 million people benefit from PMI’s programs each year. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic our lifesaving work has continued, because mosquitoes don’t social distance. Hear from a few of the women whose families are now protected from malaria-carrying mosquitoes thanks to PMI-funded bednets and insecticide spray campaigns: