On The Relationship Between Poverty and Malaria In Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

A significant question about the prevalence of malaria is whether malaria is a consequence, rather than a cause, of poverty? Malaria has been prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa for hundreds of years and while prevention and control strategies have been applied, the malaria incidence remains high and is an important factor that slows down the economic development in this region. This paper uses available malaria survey datasets from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) across 19 African countries. Focusing on the narrow relationship between poverty (wealth) and malaria, we run a 2-equation 3SLS econometric model for each country with the first equation establishing whether malaria is a consequence of poverty, and the second whether malaria is a cause of malaria. We treat both equations as being endogenous to each other and find that both parts – consequence and cause - coexist as a feedback loop; that is, efforts to reduce malaria prevalence in households causally leads to increased wealth, and increased wealth causally lead to reductions in malaria prevalence. 

Keywords: Malaria, Africa, bed-nets

JEL Classification: I15, O55, O12, O15