WASHINGTON–  The ONE Campaign debuted a new game to educate people about the “world’s deadliest animal” and encourage players to join the fight to end malaria.

In the world of Mash-quito, players race to squish the insects that carry the life-threatening disease while avoiding the friendly birds (see screenshots below). The game is designed to highlight the global effort to beat malaria, which is still a huge threat to millions, with hard-hitting facts about the disease popping up as players progress: 

• Children 5 and younger bear the brunt of malaria around the globe– 3 in 4 people who die from malaria are children. 
• Malaria cases are on the rise: there were 14 million more reported cases in 2020 than 2019, in large part due to the impact Covid-19 had on global efforts.
• Over 1 million people have received the new malaria vaccine since 2019. 

ONE is using the game to create a buzz around the continued challenges in the fight against malaria, which, like efforts to end other diseases, experienced setbacks during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the game is to get players to share their score on the leaderboard and challenge friends to join the fight against malaria. 

Jenny Ottenhoff, Global Health Policy Director at ONE, said: “Malaria remains one of the leading causes of death among children globally, and it’s completely preventable with more political will and innovation. This game is a unique way to highlight the issue, point to the solutions, and get people engaged to end the threat of this killer disease.”

In September, the United States will host the Seventh Replenishment Conference for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, a critical tool in the fight to end preventable disease. Since its creation in 2002, the Global Fund has helped reduce deaths from malaria by 25% in the hardest hit countries.