DAR ES SALAAM, May 5 (Xinhua) -- African countries and international organizations will grasp the opportunity of the 2010 Football World Cup in South Africa to advocate the fight against malaria and accelerate actions of confronting the No.1 killer of children under five on the continent, UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Malaria Ray Chambers said here Wednesday.
It has been widely acknowledged that the use of long-lasting insecticide-treated nets is a crucial measure to protect people from malaria, a disease caused by parasites and transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito.
"We are on track to reach our fundamental goal of getting mosquito nets to all those in need by the end of 2010, but we still have to make sure the nets are being used properly," Chambers said at the sidelines of the 20th World Economic Forum on Africa held here in the Tanzanian capital of Dar es Salaam.
"Too often, nets are being left in their packaging or not utilized properly," said the UN envoy. "But by combing Africa's enthusiasm for football with messages encouraging proper net utilization, we know we can save lives."
Meanwhile, the 26-member African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) and the United Against Malaria (UAM) partnership on Wednesday issued a challenge to business and football associations to help make the first FIFA World Cup to be held on African soil a turning point in eliminating malaria across Africa.
Malaria is taking a heavy toll on Africa's economic and social development. It not only kills a child every 30 seconds, but also contributes to the vicious cycle of poverty. The Global Malaria Action Plan estimates that malaria costs Africa 12 billion U.S. dollars each year in direct economic losses, and much more in lost productivity.
The ALMA and the UAM have expressed their commitment to helping reach the United Nations target of universal access to mosquito nets and malaria medicine in Africa by the end of this year, a crucial first step to reaching the international target of reducing malaria deaths to near zero by 2015
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/health/2010-05/06/c_13280018.htm
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