Ending Malaria

When I was in college I had the opportunity to study in Tanzania for a semester. Before going, while there, and upon returning we were encouraged to take an anti-malaria drug, similar to the old quinine (which most malaria mosquitoes are now resistant too). The anti-malarial drug we took was not recommended for long term use, nor for pregnant women, nor for children, and, while relatively inexpensive for us students, was costly for a third world person. Consequently, most of the folks we talked to in Tanzania were not taking this type of drug. One of our realizations was that if we were going to come down with malaria, it was probably better to do so while in Tanzania than at home. At least in Tanzania the medical professionals would recognize what was happening.  I know of at least two of us visiting USA students who came down with malaria while there.

Last week at the Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church for the Pacific Northwest Conference (which includes geographical area of Washington and Northern Idaho) the topic of malaria came up.

Malaria is transmitted through the bite of a mosquito.
It claims a life every 60 seconds.*
Has flu like symptoms, including fever, vomiting and severe joint pain.
Left untreated, causes convulsions, organ failure and death.
Is 100% preventable and treatable ... and beatable!**

*Four years ago, malaria was claiming a life every 30 seconds. There has been a huge outpouring of support, and how this statistic has changed in such a sort time is amazing. A goal is to end malaria deaths by 2015.***
Below you'll find some information from two campaigns making a huge difference: Nothing But Nets and Imagine No Malaria. If you'd like to make a contribution check out their websites or ...

Nothing But Nets:
$10 buys a net through the United Nations Fund.
Advocate for government support as your government sets the budget.

Imagine No Malaria:
Text MALARIA to 27722 to give $10
Text SWAT to 27722 and sign a petition to save lifes
Invite someone to watch the one-hour documentary "A Killer in the Dark"

What can you do to support others around the world?

Blessings,
Joel

In 2006, Nothing But Nets started with a column in Sports Illustrated by Rick Reilly encouraging his readers to donate $10 for a bed net to help end malaria.

In five years, the Nothing But Nets campaign has engaged hundreds of thousands of individuals to help achieve the UN goal of ending malaria deaths by 2015. We work with a diverse group of partners, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the National Basketball Association's NBA Cares, The People of The United Methodist Church, Vh1, Major League Soccer's MLS W.O.R.K.S., Boy Scouts of America, the Women's National Basketball Association, the Union for Reform Judaism, Usher's New Look Foundation, Junior Chamber International, and Orkin, Inc., among others.
The success of Nothing But Nets is a testament to the power of passionate people coming together to make the world a better, healthier place. You can save a family. Your church, school, or sports team can save a village. Together, we can cover Africa with life-saving bed nets.***

In 2010 the United Methodist Church started an additional campaign: Imagine No Malaria. Imagine No Malaria continues the work of prevention but also adds Prevention, Education, Treatment, Communication and Advocacy.

Think of it as Nets Plus. We continue to support Nothing But Nets, because bed nets are an effective tool against the disease. But, we’re doing more.

First and foremost, we work in full partnership with communities in Africa. Empowering people to be part of the solution. Providing the tools needed so they can fight malaria.

So here’s the plan: we’re gonna put 160 years of know-how and experience in Africa to work against malaria. This comprehensive approach is divided into four main parts:

Prevention: It’s about improving the ways people fight the disease locally.  Using bed nets. Access to diagnostic tests and medicine. Draining standing water. Improving sanitation.  Every person can take steps to prevent malaria deaths, from protective measures to taking swift action when malaria symptoms begin.

Treatment: Improving infrastructure. There are literally hundreds of churches, schools, hospitals and clinics operated by The United Methodist Church in Africa, but what good are they if medicines to treat malaria aren’t available?  We’ll make sure these facilities have the diagnostic tests and treatment needed to save lives.

Education: It’s about outreach to those who need it most. Last year alone, we trained thousands of local people in African communities to teach their communities about avoiding malaria. In Sierra Leone, these workers went door-to-door to deliver bed nets, install them in homes and teach folks how to properly use and care for the nets.

Communications: And finally, your support helps upgrade communications networks throughout the continent. Building new radio stations and providing hand-crank and solar-powered radios will ensure we are reaching great numbers of people with life-saving information about malaria.

What makes us so sure? We are putting in place a system of accountability. By establishing health boards in Africa, these groups will be held responsible for stewardship of your donation and results, putting funds to work with a plan that creates malaria programs that truly serve the needs of their local communities. Once established and trained, these boards will be eligible to receive a lot more funding from our partners, like The Global Fund, to Fight Malaria.**

You might also be interested in reading about using genetically modified mosquitoes to fight dengue fever: Eradicating Dengue Fever Through Genetically Modified Mosquitoes?
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** From Imagine No Malaria
*** From Nothing But Nets