Worldwide Campaign to Fight Malaria Gets Underway

Political leaders and philanthropists gathered at the United Nations (UN; New York, NY, USA) to initiate a global campaign to fight malaria that brings together governmental organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and the private sector.

The Global Malaria Action Plan (GMAP) aims to reduce levels of illness and death from malaria, a disease that affects 3.3 billion people living in 109 countries, to half the year 2000 level by the year 2010. When implemented, GMAP could save more than 4.2 million lives by 2015 and lay the foundation for eventually eradicating the disease altogether. GMAP consolidates the collective input of 30 endemic countries and regions, 65 international institutions, and 250 experts from a wide range of fields to accelerate the work that is being done to fight malaria. Launched with commitments totaling US$3 billion, pledges includes $1.1 billion from the World Bank, $168 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for vaccine research, $1.6 billion over two years from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, $40 million from the United Kingdom Department for International Aid, and $28 million from Marathon Oil/Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria in Equatorial Guinea. Among the goals of GMAP is increased access to mosquito nets impregnated with insecticide, indoor spraying and treatment programs, and an ambitious plan to distribute 100 million bed nets around the world.

"Malaria defeated the international community many years ago. We cannot allow this to happen again. A single global action plan for malaria control, that enjoys partnership-wide support, is a strong factor for success,” said Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO; Geneva, Switzerland).

"I believe that if you show people a problem, and then you show them the solution, they will be moved to act. The Global Malaria Action Plan lays out an achievable blueprint for fighting malaria – now it's time for the world to take action,” said Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Seattle, WA, USA).

Malaria is a vector-borne infectious disease caused by protozoan parasites. It is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, including parts of the Americas, Asia, and Africa. Each year, there are approximately 515 million cases of malaria, killing between one and three million people, the majority of whom are young children in Sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria is commonly associated with poverty, but is also a cause of poverty and a major hindrance to economic development.

Related Links:
United Nations
World Health Organization
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation