Brazzaville 25 April, 2007 -- WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Sambo, has called for increased support from the international community to countries in the African region to fight malaria.
“It is imperative that we continue to ensure that we collectively support countries to monitor deliverables indicating progress torwards malaria control and elimination”, Dr Sambo said in a message to mark Africa Malaria Day, observed on 25 April every year since 2000.

“Every child under five and every pregnant woman should sleep under an insecticide treated net (ITN). Where feasible, homes should be sprayed with effective insecticides. Everyone infected with malaria should receive timely treatment with life-saving anti-malarial medicines. Every pregnant woman should have access to intermittent preventive treatment to protect herself and her unborn child from malaria”, Dr Sambo said in his message released today in Brazzaville.

This year’s celebration of Africa Malaria Day will highlight LEADERSHIP AND PARTNERSHIP to FREE AFRICA FROM MALARIA.

The ‘regional’ event for observing the Day this year will be held at the Munyaga Health Centre in Rwamagana District, located in the eastern province of Rwanda. The highlights of the regional event will be the launch of the Primo ACT package for Home Management of Malaria, and the provision of Long Lasting Nets for free distribution during routine measles vaccination exercises. A week-long malaria, sensitization and community mobilization campaign in health sites covering about 360 villages around 36 health centers in the country began on 19 April and will culminate in the celebration of Africa Malaria Day on the 25 April. Africa Malaria Day will be observed in all African countries and by the malaria control community worldwide.

In several malaria endemic countries poverty, faltering health systems and drug resistance have contributed to the rise of malaria infections over the last 30 years, bringing number of clinical episodes to up to between 350 and 500 million cases a year, and the number of deaths to over one million. It is estimated that 90 per cent of these deaths are in Africa where the disease kills an African child every 30 seconds. Also, in Africa alone, economic loss due to malaria is estimated at US$12 billion per year, according to Dr Sambo.

Dr Sambo stressed that international partnerships were crucial to curbing the malaria threat in Africa and noted with satisfaction the tenfold increased funding for malaria control by the Global fund to Fight, AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the United States President’s Malaria Initiative, the World Bank and new malaria financing donors such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

More than 76 million ITNs were procured by Roll Back Malaria partners in 2006, and the Global Fund alone delivered 18 million nets. The number of Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies (ACTs) procured in 2006 exceeded 100 million, almost doubling the 56 million procured in 2005 Dr Sambo noted. New, easy to use and cheaper ACT formulations are being developed and adopted by national programmes, he noted.

In conclusion, the Regional Director said “We encourage all partners and stakeholders in malaria control to take stock of our common achievements and review our collective efforts in order to win the fight against malaria”.

For more information contact:

Technical contact

Dr Georges Alfred Ki-Zerbo
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Email: kizerbog [at] afro.who.int (kizerbog[at]afro[dot]who[dot]int)   
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