Anti-malaria work is working - but much more still needs to be done

ANTI-MALARIA WORK IS WORKING - BUT MUCH MORE STILL NEEDS TO BE DONE

 
If you’ve experienced mosquitoes, you will know how annoying they can be.
But they are doing a lot more than annoying people: they are killing innocent children.

World Malaria Day gives us a chance to reflect on the progress that has been made in recent years – but much more still has to be done.
Malaria is one of the major causes of death and disease in the world. Every 60 seconds it kills somebody’s child and 216 million people become seriously ill - most of them in Africa. 

Yet cost-effective tools in the fight against the disease means that malaria can be easily prevented, diagnosed and treated. Simply treated mosquito nets, medicines, and indoor spraying with insecticide are effective tools.

Malaria control has been cited as one of the most notable achievements of overseas aid. There has been an estimated 32% decrease in deaths attributable to the disease from 2004 to 2010.

 
In Zambia for example, deaths among children under five have decreased by 62% and the nation was highlighted as a country where investment in malaria has paid off. The Zambian government in partnership with NGOs initiated much of this improvement.  Zanzibar in Tanzania has seen an 81% drop in malaria deaths. In 2011, Armenia was certified as malaria free.

These are all positive moves, but mosquitos are still killing people. World Malaria Day is a reminder that much more needs to be done if we are to keep the promises of the Millennium Development Goals.

Even if a mosquito has never annoyed you you should still help to fight back.

 

Joel Edwards (Twitter @nigpat) is the Director for Micah Challenge International www.micahchallenge.org and a regular broadcaster with the BBC. He is also a former commissioner with the Equality and Human Rights Commission in the UK.

ENDS

To learn more about Micah Challenge see www.micahchallenge.org or Like our Facebook Page www.facebook.com/MicahChallenge or follow us on Twitter @micah_2015

Joel Edwards (Twitter @nigpat) is the Director for Micah Challenge International www.micahchallenge.org and a regular broadcaster with the BBC. He is also a former commissioner with the Equality and Human Rights Commission in the UK.

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NOTES FOR EDITORS

Micah Challenge is a global movement active in over 40 countries whose aim is to encourage Christians to be committed to the poor, and hold governments accountable to the Millennium Development Goals, signed by 189 countries in the year 2000 which committed to halving world poverty by the year 2015. www.micahchallenge.org

 

 

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