‘Redeem pledge of halving malaria mortality’

Pg. 11. Sat. May 3/08
Story Rebecca Quaicoe Duho

AFRICAN Leaders have been reminded to redeem their pledge of halving malaria mortality by 2010.
They have also been called upon to implement well co-ordinated and integrated country-wide programmes to drastically reduce the rate of malaria infection in Africa.
These were contained in a communiqué issued at the end of a three-day training for journalists by the Africa Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN) in Accra.
The training was part of the celebration of this year’s World Malaria Day which fell on Friday, April 25, 2008 on the theme "Malaria a disease without borders".
The training brought together 20 health journalists under a sub-theme "Malaria- The connection with other preventable diseases".
The communiqué further called on African leaders to commit more money into malaria research to assist policy makers in their planning efforts towards malaria control.
However the efforts of governments and other stakeholders globally to Roll Back Malaria in Africa have been applauded.
Among some of the pledges that the African Leaders made in Abuja, Nigeria, in April 2000 as part of efforts to Roll back Malaria were; to ensure that at least 60 per cent of all pregnant women who are at risk of contacting malaria have access to intermittent presumptive treatment.
Also they pledged to initiate appropriate and sustainable action to strengthen health systems to ensure that by the year 2005 at least 60 per cent of those suffering from malaria would have prompt access to and are able to correctly use, affordable and appropriate treatment within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms.
The African Leaders at Abuja also pledged to ensure that at least 60 per cent of those at risk , particularly children under five years of age and pregnant women benefit from the most suitable combination of personal and community protective measures such as insecticide treated mosquito nets and other interventions which are accessible and affordable to prevent infection and suffering.
According to the communiqué, after eight years, not much had been achieved and that 90 per cent of the world’s malaria deaths of children under five years still occur in Africa.
The communiqué further stated that "As Africans, we should be worried that over 80 per cent of the over one million deaths caused by malaria globally occur in our continent each year and that malaria remains the leading cause of under-five mortality".
It said malaria still constitutes 10 per cent of the continent's overall disease burden and accounts for 40 per cent of public expenditure, 30 to 50 per cent of in-patient admissions and up to 50 per cent of out-patients visits in areas with high transmission.
It further stressed that, "absenteeism among school children and lost worker productivity, all contribute to make malaria a significant contributor to low economic growth in endemic countries, estimated at costing African countries about US$12 billion annually".
The communiqué also called on National Malaria Control programmes in the various African countries to step-up efforts on malaria education to reduce the ignorance around the disease that results in unnecessary deaths. It also added that malaria can be eradicated with concerted efforts from all fronts.