The World Malaria Day Petition is collecting signatures to persuade Google to customize it’s search engine page to promote World Malaria Day 2009 on April 25th. According to the petition,

[Malaria] 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.

With a couple of clicks and your name, you can encourage Google to join the fight against malaria. Google’s help would leverage the efforts of the international anti-malaria community by bringing World Malaria Day 2009 to the attention of it’s millions of daily visitors. With your signature and Google’s help, the world community might meet it’s Millenium Development target of delivering effective and affordable protection and treatment to all people at risk of malaria by 2010.