World Malaria Day

Malaria is a deadly disease that is spread through the bite of an infected female anopheles mosquito. It is a highly preventable and treatable disease which kills up to 3 million people and affects up to 500 million people every year. Children under 5 years old and pregnant women are most vulnerable.

Not only does malaria exact a devastating human toll, but it also costs the world economy approximately $40 billion each year due to lost productivity and health care costs. Malaria causes poverty and poverty causes malaria.

The World Health Organization states that long lasting insecticide treated bed nets are the most cost efficient and effective way in which to prevent malaria. Mosquitoes bite primarily at night while people sleep. Bed nets stop the bite and stop malaria.

Established by the World Health Organization in March 2007, World Malaria Day, April 25th annually, helps raise awareness and understanding of malaria. It is hoped that the establishment of World Malaria Day will mobilize communities across the world to get involved in fighting the disease and saving lives.

Google, as the world's pre-eminent search engine, is well positioned to bring attention to World Malaria Day.

We, the undersigned and concerned citizens of the world, urge Google to join the world community and do its share in raising the visibility and profile of malaria. We urge Google to customize it's search engine home page to reflect World Malaria Day on April 25th, 2009 and annually thereafter until malaria is eradicated. Google has designed its search engine home page for other notable days, such as Earth Day, St. Patrick's Day and others, and we urge Google to do the same for World Malaria Day.

As noted by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, malaria prevention is a "good investment". The world community and its collective will has seen a 30\% increase in bed net use in African countries in just four years. UN Special Envoy Ray Chambers notes that "dedicated leadership, proven interventions, available resources and collective will have converged to turn the tide against this scourge. We cannot permit complacency to dull our resolve."

We, the undersigned, urge Google to help spur greater citizen awareness, knowledge, involvement and action in this global health crisis through the design of its search engine home page reflecting World Malaria Day, April 25th and annually therafter.