Lifestyle

Click here to find Oxfam charity gifts on the Oxfam website

Forget the tiger, snake or shark, the mosquito is the most dangerous animal in the world, responsible for more human deaths than any other.

Malaria slays one African child every 30 seconds, campaigners say, and affects between 300 and 600 million people a year, or almost twice as many as tuberculosis, AIDS, measles and leprosy combined.

The UN's World Health Organisation (WHO) launched the Roll Back Malaria Partnership in 1998 with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank, bringing together the private sector and government groups to try and halve the number of malaria-related deaths by 2010.

The cost of coping with the disease makes it a major barrier to development. UN officials estimate that the disease costs Africa US$12 billion a year, and that poor families spend up to a quarter of their income on protecting themselves from the illness and treatment.

You can help swat the mozzy in its tracks! Give mosquito nets and give the gift of life through Oxfam.

Give the gift of a mosquito net through Oxfam. Visit the Oxfam Unwrapped charity gifts scheme. It can all be done quickly and easily online - just visit the Oxfam Unwrapped website for more details.

Click here to find Oxfam charity gifts on the Oxfam website