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WORLD MALARIA DAY
World Malaria Day on Monday 25th April highlighted the fact that almost 800,000
people a year die from this disease, which is all the more tragic when one considers
the very low cost of the best strategy against malaria: prevention.
Four years ago, when World Malaria Day began, it was estimated that a child died
of malaria approximately every thirty seconds. The huge increase in support for
malaria control interventions in recent years means there has been a real reduction
in the death rate; where once over a million people died of the disease annually,
the figure has reduced by about 20%. Progress is being made, however there is much
to do and it’s not just about mosquitos.
Malaria and poverty are intimately connected – malaria is considered to be both a cause and consequence of poverty and is more difficult for the poorest countries in the world to eliminate.
Malaria affects the health and economic growth of nations and individuals alike. The simple presence of malaria in a community or country hampers individual and national prosperity due to its influence on social and economic decisions. The risk of contracting malaria in endemic areas deters investment and affects individual and household decision making in many ways that have a negative impact on economic productivity and growth .
Some examples of negative impact include:
- Individual farmers/households prefer to plant subsistence crops rather than more
labour-
intensive cash crops because of malaria’s impact on labour during harvest season. - Undeveloped markets due to traders’ unwillingness to travel to and invest in malaria endemic areas.
- Undeveloped tourist industry due to reluctance of travellers to visit malaria-
endemic areas. - Families that suffer from malaria harvest less than half the amount of healthy families.
The major barrier to curbing the malaria problem is the lack of funding. It is estimated
that £3 billion would be needed each year to effectively control malaria. About £1
billion is given by malaria endemic country governments, donor governments, and UN
agencies per year towards this cause. This money is needed to help provide insecticide
treated mosquito nets, spraying to eliminate malaria-
Despite these barriers, there is hope as governments pledge more money towards controlling
malaria and locals become educated on why changing habits can help them avoid the
deadly disease. We are in a revolutionary time where poverty has become top of the
list for many celebrities and governments and you can join us too. By eliminating
poverty, we may help eliminate the endless deaths caused by malaria. By curbing the
number of deaths caused by the disease, we are also helping to solve a major problem
of poverty.
In order to be successful, the fight against malaria must be a comprehensive one
which includes giving families and individuals insecticide-
It's sobering to think that just £5 pays for the purchase, delivery and hanging of a mosquito net for a family in Africa. For further information, and the opportunity to donate or help, visit Malaria No More UK.
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