Greater malaria awareness needed

Tomorrow is World Malaria Day - the first to replace Africa Malaria Day, writes Chris Gaynor.

Apparently, Malaria remains a major health problem in the South East Asia region, where, according to the regional director Samlee Pliangbangchang, of WHO (World Health Organisation, south east Asia region), 100,000 deaths are caused by the disease each year.

Pliangbangchang had a stark warning about tackling Malaria. He said on the Roll Back Malaria website: "Malaria is not just a health problem. It is a disease. It is caused by poverty and it induces poverty.

Pliangbangchang added: "To overcome this resurging disease, we need to be strategic."

He said that member countries were fighting hard to try to tackle the disease but more needed to be done.

There was also a need he said to strengthen the partnership between the various organisations involved and to create more up to date strategies.

This included reviewing the 2006 - 2010 review on The Revised Malaria Control Strategy introduced.

It was important he said that Malaria was kept in the spotlight.

Eighty per cent of the SE Asia's population are at risk from Malaria apparently. According to European Alliance Against Malaria website, World Malaria Day was established and approved at the 60th World Health Assembly(WHA) in March 2007.

It was agreed that from 2007 onwards there would be a World Malaria Day annually. Politicians and celebrities and public figures are backing the Malaria Consortium by offering quotes on what World Malaria Day means to them.

Here are a few quoted on the Malaria Consortium website:

Channel Four's Jon Snow said: "I strongly support the Malaria Consortium. Having been back to the village in Uganda where I worked as a VSO forty years ago and seen the continuing devastation wrought by this disease I have no hesitation in urging you to join me in this cause.'

PM Gordon Brown said: "Around half a billion people a year contract malaria - a preventable infection that today still kills one child every thirty seconds. No disease in human history has caused more sickness or loss of life. This year we have launched the MDG Call to Action, bringing together governments, NGOs, businesses, faith groups and civil societies from across the world to get the Millennium Development Goals back on track.

And to achieve this we must redouble our efforts to tackle the global development emergency, including the devastation of lives and communities that is the shameful legacy of malaria even in 2008. Only by being bold and ambitious in our approach can we combat and ultimately eradicate this disease."

WHO Uganda representative Dr Melville George said: " Let the 25th April 2008 commemoration of World Malaria Day re-kindle the efforts of everybody: technocrats, civil society, politicians, and the donor community alike towards combating the malaria scourge that has caused untold morbidity, mortality and reduced productivity resulting into devastating socio economic consequences."

Let us support the rapid scale up of all proven malaria control interventions en mass. The attainment of the MDGs ispossible through a united front against malaria."

It replaces Africa Malaria Day which was first commemorated in 2001. Africa Malaria Day was declared by African leaders committed to rolling back malaria and meeting the United Nations malaria-related Millennium Development Goals.

World Malaria Day provides a unique opportunity to raise awareness of the devastating consequences of the disease and to mobilise all sectors of society across the world. It is also a day for partners to reflect on and share experiences, to initiate or further exchanges and collaborations, and to show how the malaria burden has been reduced by highlighting malaria control success stories.

Investing in Malaria Pays

On the first World Malaria Day, the European Alliance Against Malaria (EAAM) has chosen to emphasise that “Investing in Malaria Pays”. The EAMM believes it makes clear economic sense for both endemic and donor countries to invest in malaria; it furthers poverty reduction efforts and contributes to meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). One of the key prerequisites for lifting people and continents out of poverty is better health; therefore progress in meeting the malaria targets in the MDGs will have a direct and positive impact on achieving the other development goals.

For more information about the EAAM message, read the World Malaria Day factsheet

Supporting the official World Malaria Day theme “Malaria a Disease Without Borders”, EAAM is calling for:

• Long term and sustained political commitment, action and resources to fight malaria
• Increased and more effective funding from the EU and European donor countries
• Improved policy and programmes in both donor and malaria-endemic countries
• Better coordination amongst the malaria community and initiatives
• Better access to affordable malaria prevention tools and treatments/drugs for those who most need them
• Long term commitment to R&D including implementation research

The European Alliance Against Malaria is planning a certain number of activities around World Malaria Day:

Visit http://www.europeanallianceagainstmalaria.org/about_us/current_and_forthcoming_events.html.

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