World Malaria Day - 25th April
More than one million people die of malaria every year, mostly infants and young children with most of them in Africa. The Global Malaria Action Plan aims to see the end of this deadly, but preventable disease. But without reliable transport, it is an impossible goal.
Malaria’s impact on Africa
Malaria is completely preventable and for those that do contract it, if it is treated quickly, it is curable. The disease has a disproportionate impact on Africa. Of the 350-500 million cases per year, 95% of these are within 35 countries, and 30 of these are in sub-Saharan Africa. Young children and pregnant women are particularly at risk, which means malaria is a major cause of infant mortality in Africa.
It isn’t just the human cost of malaria. The disease also costs Africa at least $12bn in direct losses and much more than that in lost economic growth each year. It means that children can’t go to school, parents can’t work, and families lose out.
Find out more about the work Riders for Health is doing to help health workers in Africa combat malaria watch an interview with Sheriff Senghore, a senior health nurse in the Gambia.
The Global Malaria Action Plan
As part of the Roll Back Malaria programme the world has committed to universal coverage of malaria prevention, diagnosis and treatment programmes by the end of 2010. This is now just over half a year away, and unless improvements are made to transport for health workers in Africa, millions of people in rural communities will remain unreached.
The Global Malaria Action Plan says everyone living in an area that suffers from malaria should have access to bed-nets treated with insecticide. They should also have the inside of their homes sprayed to kill the mosquitoes that carry malaria, and it calls for treatment to be provided within one day of the onset of illness.
Health workers must have reliable transport if they are to provide universal coverage to populations. Without reliable motorcycles health workers will not be able to distribute bed-nets, without ambulances people who need emergency care will not get to hospital in time. If a health worker can visit a community they can educate people as to how to prevent malaria. In places where levels of education are low, people often do not realise that mosquitoes carry malaria.
The Global Malaria Action Plan calls for 700m insecticide-treated bed nets and 200m of doses of effective treatment. They estimate this will cost $6.2bn and then $5bn per year to sustain the gains of control measures.
The missing link
The importance of transport is still overlooked in health care in Africa. The $6bn spent developing new drugs and providing treated bed-nets will be completely wasted is these interventions do not reach all the people that need it. Worst of all, people will still die from a preventable disease.
This is why the work of Riders for Health is so important.
Riders for Health’s mission is to ensure that men, women and children no longer die of easily preventable and treatable diseases, like malaria, due to isolation and poverty. By making sure that health workers can reach even the most remote rural communities on a regular basis, Riders is guaranteeing that these people can receive treatment, bed nets, insecticide sprays and education on how to stay healthy and lead a productive, malaria-free life.
What is malaria?
Malaria is caused by a parasite, which is transmitted through infected mosquitoes bites. Symptoms of malaria include fever, headache and vomiting. If left untreated, malaria can quickly become life threatening by disrupting the blood supply to vital organs. Simple, key interventions exist to control malaria, like prompt and effective treatment with anti-malarial drugs; the use of insecticidal nets and spraying insecticide indoors to control mosquitoes.
Malaria traps families and communities in a downward spiral of poverty, disproportionately affecting marginalised communities and people who cannot afford treatment or who have limited access to health care. The economic impact includes not only the costs of health care, but also the costs of lost working days. Children that suffer malaria miss school so their education suffers, damaging their chances of employment in later life. According to the World Health Organisation, the economic impact of malaria has been estimated to cost Africa $12 billion every year.
Find more about how Riders' work is helping to fight malaria.
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