Malaria & G8

OTTAWA – An international group of malaria experts is calling on G8 leaders to make the disease part of its plan to boost maternal and child health.
Astrid, Princess of Belgium, told a meeting of Canadian parliamentarians and anti-malaria organizations it's critical to get the message across that malaria is completely preventable.
“Malaria control is central to improving the health and well-being of populations in endemic countries,” she said Friday in Ottawa.
Malaria kills one million African children every year. Pregnant women are four times more likely to catch malaria, which leads to severe maternal anemia, premature births and low birth weight. But it's easy to prevent malaria with insecticide-treated bed nets, and handing out free nets is a way to get women into clinics for prenatal care, said Debra Lefebvre of Buy-A-Net, a Canadian organization that raises money to distribute free nets.
Awa Marie Coll-Seck, executive director of Roll Back Malaria, says she's worried the priorities of the G8 change every year, but malaria should be a consistent target.
“Malaria is on the development agenda and I am happy to see you all raising the issue at the G8,” Coll-Seck said. “Every priority, malaria is there.”
http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2010/04/16/13615346.html