Africa Malaria Day
23rd April, 2007

On 25th April, 2000, African Heads of State and Governments of the 53 countries of Africa met in Abuja, Nigeria to commit themselves to an intensive effort to halve malaria mortality for Africa's people by 2010.
Seven years down the line, not much has been achieved. Majority of African countries are still trying to achieve the 60% target of malaria reduction. Most people suffering from malaria in Africa do not have prompt access to correct, affordable and appropriate treatment within 24 hours of onset of symptoms. 90% of the worlds Malaria deaths of children under 5 years and pregnant women still occur in Africa.

As we commemorate Africa Malaria Day today, many countries in Africa and international partners in the fight against Malaria will organize events and activities to re-affirm their commitment to efforts targeted at prevention and control of malaria. The theme for this year “Leadership and Partnership for           Results” and the slogan "Free Africa from Malaria NOW!" reiterate the need to work in partnership to reverse the progression of malaria and make a significant impact in malaria endemic countries in  Africa. 

There are at least 350-500 million reported malaria cases globally, resulting in more than one million deaths annually. Over 80% of which occur in Africa. Malaria is Africa’s leading cause of under-five mortality and constitutes 10% of the continent’s overall disease burden. It accounts for 40% of public expenditure, 30-50% of inpatient admissions and up to 50% of outpatient visits in areas with high transmission. Absenteeism among school children and diminished or lost worker productivity all contribute to low economic growth in malaria endemic countries, equivalent to a loss of about US $ 12 billion annually.

The Malaria Clinical Trials Alliance (MCTA) of the INDEPTH Network, an international health research NGO, is spearheading malaria clinical trials in 14 sites in nine African countries namely Ghana, Kenya, The Gambia, Nigeria, Senegal, Mozambique, Tanzania, Gabon and Malawi.

The aim is to come up with appropriate drugs and a possible malaria vaccine to help reduce the malaria burden in the continent.

African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN), a group of journalists and scientists working together to reduce the high incidence of malaria, applauds the commitment of African governments and other stakeholders to roll back malaria on the continent.

 

AMMREN however calls on African governments to embrace and support malaria research, drug subsidies, indoor residual spraying, and also promote enhanced usage of Insecticide Treated Nets [ITN’s]. African governments should focus more on generating and communicating accurate information especially in malaria endemic rural communities. They should also increase funding to National Malaria Control programmes to meet their objectives as the donor funding runs out.

The challenges in reaching the Abuja Declaration and the Millennium Development Goals on child mortality, increased maternal health and malaria reduction by half require the partnership of governments, scientists, the media and communities to create a world free of malaria.