Amy Maxmen on Malaria Prevention in Mali

In 2013, more than one million African children repeatedly took malaria medicines to prevent the disease, similar to what tourists take when visiting malaria endemic countries. Because the drugs are taken on a large scale, the malaria parasites that are able to survive the medicines will spread, rendering these medicines useless in the near future. However, health workers, mothers and scientists in West and Central Africa say the benefits of blocking the disease — even temporarily — are worth the price of lost drugs.