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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – As we mark World Malaria Day this Sunday, the need to re-commit to efforts to reduce malaria’s health burden-and ultimately eradicate it-is highlighted by recent experience in Haiti.
Malaria occurs throughout Haiti. In 2008, Haiti reported 37,664 cases of
malaria, although the actual burden likely was much greater. This year,
millions of Haitians displaced by the devastating earthquake in January
are at increased risk of the disease because they are living in tents
and other temporary shelters that offer less protection against the bite
of the infected mosquitoes that carry the disease.
The increased malaria risk during Haiti’s recovery, while substantial,
represents only a small part of the worldwide problem. Malaria’s fevers
and chills are familiar to millions who live in impoverished countries.
The World Health Organization estimates approximately 311 million cases
of malaria occur each year-causing hundreds of thousands of deaths in
young children in sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria can also cause dangerously
low birth weights and permanent disability. Malaria contributes to
poverty-in Africa alone, costs of illness, treatment, and premature
death from malaria are at least $12 billion per year.
The U.S. government is part of a strong global partnership making
progress to reduce the health burden of malaria. The U.S. President’s
Malaria Initiative, led by the U.S. Agency for International Development
and implemented jointly with CDC, has contributed to substantial
reductions in reported cases of malaria in Rwanda, Zambia and other
sub-Saharan African countries. Other global institutions, including the
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria have also
contributed to this success.
CDC takes seriously the charge from the U.S. Congress to track where and
when malaria transmission takes place so that public health officials
can treat cases that occur and prevent new ones. Globally, CDC is
helping to develop and test tools to stop malaria transmission:
insecticide-treated bed nets to protect families from mosquitoes,
accurate and rapid diagnostic tests, and effective drugs. With adequate
new resources, we can boost efforts to monitor resistance to drugs and
insecticides and ensure that new drugs are developed and tested. And we
can find new ways to collect the strategic information needed to monitor
progress on the road to elimination.
This Sunday, April 25, 2010, is World Malaria Day and we re-commit
ourselves to “Counting Malaria Out.” We have the tools, the commitment,
and the expertise. We must now further invest in our ability to detect
and respond to the changing face of malaria. Count us in for as long as
it takes to count malaria out.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
For more information: http://www.cdc.gov/Features/WorldMalariaDay/
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