International
Malaria
Watch: 10 years of the Global Fund, 7.7 million lives saved
To celebrate 10 years of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS TB and Malaria, they have launched a video celebrating some of their achievements over the last decade:
If you feel inspired, please share!
Beat the Mozzy
Beat The Mozzy, is a new campaign launched by Malaria No More UK in the run up to World Mosquito Day on 20 August. It introduces ‘Ziii’ the malicious mozzy, on her tireless quest to spread malaria far and wide. Happily, she is frequently foiled by barriers to her bloodsucking, including mosquito nets and mosquito spray.
Beat The Mozzy aims to inspire widespread interest and action in fighting malaria, a preventable disease that tragically claims 781,000 lives every year with over 90% of all deaths in Africa. Malaria No More UK champions efforts for people across the UK to get involved and help save lives and last year raised funds and awareness that helped to protect over two million people from malaria in Africa.
Beat The Mozzy is made up of four 30 second cartoons produced by the Cartoon Network UK. You can view them on Malaria No More UK’s facebook page and they go live one by one on 9, 11, 16 and 18 August. Each cartoon stars Ziii, fixated on spreading malaria and carries a simple and hard-hitting message on such as the fact that half of the world’s population is at risk from the disease; malaria is preventable and treatable.
More than 500 million people have been reached with antimalarial bednets in the past 2 years alone – Saving 200,000 lives per year—that’s nearly 550 fewer deaths every single day.
The fight to make malaria no more began in earnest on 20 August in 1897 when British doctor Ronald Ross first made the link that female mosquitoes transmit malaria between humans. Dr Ross declared this day as ‘World Mosquito Day’. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine for his groundbreaking work, which laid the foundations for scientists across the world to beat and treat malaria, one of the world’s oldest preventable diseases.
You can view a short film on the history and significance of World Mosquito Day on Malaria No More’s website.
Malaria No More UK is part of a global movement to reach near zero deaths from malaria by 2015.
Malaria: We are making progress
How is this for some Living Proof – MORE THAN 500 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE BEEN REACHED WITH ANTIMALARIAL BEDNETS IN THE PAST 2 YEARS ALONE.
It’s easy to read, but here is a nice little interactive map by our friends at the Bill and Malinda Gates Foundation that visually represents the statistics. It shows how far the international community has come, for example saving 580,547 lives in Nigeria, and how much work we still need to do to completely eradicate this deadly yet preventable disease.
There are 3 main components to this infographic: you can view the progress of individual countries, an explanation of the life saving methods that are used, and a comparison of the number of global lives saved with and without increased interventions such as bed nets, case management and anti-malarial drugs.
You can find the interactive infographic here. Please take a look and pass it on to your friends and family.
World Malaria Day
Imagine starting off feeling flushed. Then there is the fever which slowly gets worse. You lose your appetite. You feel weak, so weak you can’t even move.
Then imagine falling unconscious, and waking up in a hospital surrounded by other sick people and you don’t know what’s happened. You’re miles from home.
The hospital is three hours’ drive from where you live; the only transport is a bicycle. You won’t be able to see your family for the next two weeks.
Imagine all of this is because one mosquito bit you while you were sleeping. It’s something that could have been avoided but your family couldn’t afford a bed net.
This is the reality for millions in the world today, who face malaria across Sub-Saharan Africa and many other parts of the world. What makes this hard to read is that malaria is a disease that is preventable with the right tools and good health education.
We have real Living Proof that we can end malaria. Simple, effective measures such as mosquito nets, malaria tests and effective medicines, all underpinned by education have made great steps in eliminating malaria. Let me throw you some great stats:
- In 2010 malaria prevention efforts saved 485 children’s lives every day.
- 11 African countries have successfully cut malaria cases by over 50% in the last decade.
- Global malaria deaths dropped by almost 10% between 2008 and 2009 alone.
- Between 2008 and 2010 almost 300 million insecticide treated nets were delivered to sub-Saharan Africa – enough to cover over 75% of people at risk of malaria.
- A number of countries are approaching elimination including: Madagascar, Namibia, Sao Tome, Swaziland and Zanzibar.
Yet there is still more work to be done. Sadly a child still dies every 45 seconds because of malaria. We need to build on the successes and keep the momentum going ensuring increased funding to improve access to malaria prevention and treatment. By doing so we can save 3 million lives in Africa by 2015.
April 25th marks World Malaria Day, a day of recognition about the scale of malaria and our historic opportunity to end deaths from this preventable disease. You can do your bit too – our friends at Malaria No More have a simple mission to eliminate malaria. To find out what you can do this World Malaria Day to make Malaria No More please visit their website www.malarianomore.org.uk
Positive start for Global Fund replenishment, but more is needed
At a meeting this week in New York high-level representatives from governments and private sector organisations gathered to reaffirm their commitment to the work of the Global Fund and announce their funding pledges for 2011 to 2013.
At the meeting the European Commission announced that it will increase its contribution to the fund by 10%, which is a step in the right direction for full replenishment. The US has committed to a 38% increase and France to a further 20%.
We look forward to the UK contributing its fair share once its multilateral aid review finishes early in the new year.
Whilst these numbers are encouraging, more is needed to save lives and prevent the spread of disease. In particular the commitments made do not put us on track to meet 2 major health goals by 2015: the virtual elimination of mother-to-child transmission and the end of malaria deaths.
The Global Fund is one of our most powerful tools in the fight against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Since its creation in 2002, it has become the dominant financier of programs to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, with more than 600 programs in 145 countries. To date, programs supported by The Global Fund have saved 5.7 million lives by providing AIDS treatment for 2.8 million people, anti-tuberculosis treatment for 7 million people and the distribution of 122 million insecticide-treated nets for the prevention of malaria.
The commitments made in New York are a positive step in the right direction but much more is needed. Rest assured that we at ONE will be working with governments to improve this life saving investment in the weeks and months ahead.
The Motherland Tour
When it comes to African musicians, Yvonne Chaka Chaka is about as big as they get. Born in Soweto and growing up during apartheid, Yvonne shot to stardom as a singer in her native South Africa in the late 80s and has since risen to become a superstar across sub-Saharan Africa, known as the Princess of Africa and hailed by Nelson Mandela as a “national icon”. I was very proud, therefore, to be able to attend the world premiere in London of her film The Motherland Tour – A Journey of African Women, organised by our friends at Malaria No More UK. The film, like much of Yvonne’s work, was inspired by her desire to influence and educate people on the dangers of preventable and treatable diseases.
Yvonne, who has worked closely with ONE in the past, met a number of strong and inspirational women who are engaged in educating themselves and others in the prevention and treatment of diseases like malaria and HIV, or training to be nurses and midwives so that maternal mortality need not be such a regular tragedy on the continent (In the United States a woman’s chance of dying in childbirth is 1 in 4,800, in sub-Saharan Africa it’s a shocking 1 in 22).
One of the film’s most touching stories is of Hupa, a mother in Zambia whose 3 year old son died of malaria. “In the past,” she explains, “we relied on traditional methods” whilst holding up some straw and cow dung. “At the time I was not even willing to accept my child was sick. I did not know.” She is devastated, knowing now that simple precautions, better education and access to treatment could have saved her child.
Hupa is now a member of a project funded by the Global Fund where, after working in the fields each day, she helps educates others about the causes and means of preventing malaria. Armed with insecticidal mosquito nets and the knowledge she has been given by the Global Fund, she is a vital source of information and resources for her community.
The film is full of stories of women like Hupa, too many to mention here.
The showing was attended by a number of dignitaries from sub-Saharan African countries, and they were implored by Yvonne to listen to the messages in the film, and write to their governments and leaders to ask them to pressurise those charged with replenishing the Global Fund to do what was necessary to help continue the fight against HIV, malaria and TB around the world.
I spoke with Diarmaid McDonald, Campaign Coordinator for STOP AIDS who had a message for governments:
“We work a lot with Malaria No More and we believe we are close to seeing the end of paediatric HIV and seeing the end of malaria as a global killer. That is why we are pushing hard for a $20 billion replenishment of the Global Fund in October.”
If Western governments are serious about tackling disease in Africa and tapping into the potential of Africa’s women and girls then a full replenishment of the Global Fund would be a very good place to start.
Photo courtesy of Malaria No More
Goal!
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The football World Cup continues in South Africa and to coincide with the tournament our friends at United Against Malaria have produced a special World Cup edition of their magazine ‘Goal!’
Every 40 seconds, a child in sub-Saharan Africa dies from a mosquito bite. Yet malaria is an entirely preventable and treatable disease with affordable solutions.
United Against Malaria is a partnership of football teams, celebrities, health and advocacy organizations, governments, corporations, and individuals who have united ahead of the World Cup to win the fight against the disease. It’s goal is to galvanize partners throughout the world to reach the United Nations target of universal access to mosquito nets and malaria medicine in Africa by the end of 2010, a crucial first step to reaching the international target of reducing deaths to near zero by 2015.
As well as lots of useful information about malaria GOAL! Also includes an interview with Kolo Toure, member of the Ivory Coast football team and UAM Champion.
Download the World Cup edition of Goal! (PDF format) and find out more about the campaign.
Nets needed
In the run up to the Wimbledon tennis championship, which begins next week, tennis star Andy Murray has teamed up with our friends at Malaria No More UK to raise awareness of this preventable and treatable disease that still claims 850,000 lives each year.
Watch the video:
Over 90% of malarial deaths occur in Africa where the most vulnerable people, typically pregnant women and children, are affected first and worst. The tragedy is that these deaths are needless as malaria is a preventable disease. Bed nets to protect against malaria cost $10 and treatment to cure malaria costs only $2 per dose.
Launching the video Andy Murray said:
“I hope people enjoy the ad and take away the serious message behind it. Malaria is a preventable disease yet it still claims the lives of 2,000 people a day in Africa. A disease of that scale here in the UK would be unthinkable and surely the same should apply for Africa. A life saving mosquito net costs less than a pack of tennis balls so please join me, donate and support Malaria No More UK.”
More great news on the Global Fund
If you remember back in March, when we met with global leaders in The Hague, the Global Fund released some impressive reports detailing their work to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. Now, just a few months later, they’ve released new data, and the results are astounding:
- 2.8 million people on life-saving AIDS treatment
- 7 million people treated for TB
- 122 million bednets distributed to protect families from malaria
Those are increases of 22%, 30%, and, 39% respectively just since June 2009! Additional results showed that 930,000 HIV-positive pregnant women have received treatment to reduce mother-to-child transmission of the virus; 120 million HIV counseling and testing sessions have been conducted; and 4.9 million basic care and support services have been provided to AIDS orphans and vulnerable children since the Global Fund started financing grants in 2003.
These new statistics are living proof that investments in the Global Fund are working; in fact, the Global Fund now estimates that it has saved 5.7 million lives.
But just throwing out statistics – even if they are impressive – can often be less impactful than the power of one person’s story. Watch how investments in the Global Fund saved the life of one young man in Cote D’Ivoire, and how he has since been inspired to give back to his community:
Kick out malaria with the Archbishop of Canterbury
For the very first time, the Archbishop of Canterbury has recorded a message for World Malaria Day to show his support and urge others to help kick malaria out for good. He made the message in support of United Against Malaria, a diverse coalition that aims to raise global awareness and renew worldwide commitment to ending malaria.
Here’s an excerpt of the Archbishop’s message:
“One of the things that I was taught when I was growing up was that among the greatest achievements of modern science was the identification of where malaria came from. That was many years ago and in the intervening years, tragically the challenge of malaria has grown worse not better…But we do have the resources to eliminate malaria. The goal has been set for getting rid of malaria and on this World Malaria Day it’s important to remember that goal.”
You can listen to his full remarks in the video below:
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About the Blog
The International ONE Blog is a daily log of the anti-poverty movement. The site is operated by ONE staff, with guest contributions from ONE volunteers, members and allies.
The content of each post and each comment represents the views of that author and does not necessarily reflect the views of ONE. ONE does not support or oppose any candidate for elected office, and any post expressing support or opposition for a candidate is not endorsed by ONE.
TAGS: Global Fund, Health, HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Tuberculosis