Growing up in Nigeria, the church seemed like a sacred place that emphasized community and worship. A constant part of my childhood, our church community was a bubble where nothing could really touch or hurt us, with neighbors and familiar faces attending service each Sunday. As Easter approached one year, we gathered to share our gratitude before embarking on trips to visit friends and relatives to celebrate. But an all-too familiar foe that had plagued Nigeria for years disrupted the celebration: malaria, a deadly, yet preventable disease.

My body had been racked with chills from a fever while an acrid taste in my mouth triggered headaches and a loss of appetite. Several hours away in a southern Nigeria village, a girl much younger than me from church, Titi, had traveled with her family to visit her grandparents. Like me, she’d experienced similar symptoms, but other severe illnesses from malaria such as diarrhea, vomiting and body pain took hold. Malaria went on a rampage in her village and after fighting the ravaging disease for as long as she could, Titi took her last breath — becoming another malaria statistic.

This World Malaria Day, I am reminded of children like Titi whose untimely departure could have been prevented. While I recovered in the hospital, thanks to the doctors who stopped the disease in its tracks before subsequent symptoms reared their ugly heads, that is not always the case for many children and families.

Some of the most vulnerable populations to the malaria disease are infants, young children and pregnant women. Malaria is caused by the bite from the female Anopheles mosquito, which transfers the malaria parasite into a person’s bloodstream. Symptoms can be mild to severe, including fever, fatigue and diarrhea. Symptoms also include muscle or joint pain, rapid breathing and heart rate.

According to the World Health Organization’s World Malaria Report, in 2022, there were 249 million malaria cases and approximately 608,000 deaths compared to 610,000 deaths in 2021. Africa accounts for 94% of all malaria cases and 95% of deaths with Nigeria, making up more than a one-fourth of malaria deaths globally. More than three-fourths of all malaria deaths in Africa are children under five years old.

When children are victims of malaria in Nigeria, the financial and social costs of disease disproportionately impact lower income families, forced to endure high financial costs when their kids are admitted to the hospital. Many lower income families in Nigeria are more likely to face severe malaria complications, adding to my home country’s already high cost of living.

My memory of Titi on this important day continues to ignite my desire to fight against this deadly, yet treatable disease. This is why I joined Tulane for UNICEF, which focuses on addressing and creating awareness for public health issues like this that impact children globally. By collaborating with organizations such as United to Beat Malaria, Tulane for UNICEF works towards mobilizing grassroots support for the funding of the President’s Malaria Initiative and the Global Fund to Fight Malaria. I encourage our Louisiana Congressional delegation, including Sen. Bill Cassidy, Sen. John Kennedy and Rep. Steve Scalise to support strong funding for these life-saving global malaria programs. Only with persistent advocacy and action, can we hope to protect more children and families from silent foes such as malaria.