"Most Americans will never experience malaria. That is a privilege. Even though malaria ranks among the most debilitating and deadly diseases globally, few Americans today have encountered it firsthand or know someone who has. Distance can lull us into thinking malaria is someone else's problem. But it isn't. Its ripple effects are felt far beyond individual lives - across economies, markets, and global security."
"Today, Africa accounts for roughly 94% of all malaria cases - some 246 million people a year. Malaria's disruption isn't just measured in cases or deaths; it's measured in corporate revenues and GDP drag. More than three quarters of sub-Saharan African businesses say malaria impacts their operations, and nearly 40% call the impact serious. Sick workers miss days or weeks of work, return less productive, and erode company performance."
"These losses don't stay in Africa. They hit American companies, too. U.S. firms have faced lost production, costly evacuations, and elevated insurance and risk premiums. Chevron once reported 1,000 lost workdays annually in Angola due to malaria. BHP Billiton's operations in Mozambique logged 6,000 malaria cases in just two years, resulting in $2.7 million in costs and 13 fatalities. For multinationals, malaria is more than a health problem, it affects the bottom line."
Malaria imposes heavy human and economic costs, concentrated primarily in Africa where roughly 94% of cases occur, about 246 million annually. The disease reduces worker productivity, increases healthcare costs, forces public spending away from development, and depresses GDP by an estimated US$12 billion per year on the continent. Multinational companies face lost production, evacuations, higher insurance, and direct costs—examples include Chevron and BHP Billiton losses. U.S. investments from 2010–2023 totaled US$15.6 billion (about 37% of global malaria funding), supporting partner-country GDP gains of US$90.3 billion and yielding approximately $5.80 return per $1 spent.
Read at Fortune
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