In many parts of the world, mosquitoes are more than annoying pests. They're the carriers of malaria, a potentially deadly disease that affects hundreds of millions of people around the world every year.

According to the World Health Organization, the parasitic disease strikes 216 million people each year and kills about 655,000.

On April 25, which is World Malaria Day, many organizations like theAssociation of Baptists for World Evangelism are seeking to raise awareness about what in many cases is a preventable disease.

"The theme for World Malaria Day 2012 - Sustain Gains, Save Lives: Invest in Malaria - marks a decisive juncture in the history of malaria control," World Malaria Day leaders said in a statement on their website.

"Whether the malaria map will keep shrinking, as it has in the past decade, or be reclaimed by the malaria parasites, depends, to a great extent, on the resources that will be invested in control efforts over the next years," they said.

Dr. Robert Cropsey, director of the ABWE's Healthcare Mobilization Program, talked about his group's efforts to fight malaria, on CBN News Channel Morning News, April 24.