Al Jazeera has a great interview with Youssou N’Dour about his participation in the Malaria No More Surround Sound campaign in Senegal. Surround Sound is all about what we call demand creation. We work with people of influence in countries to raise awareness and encourage populations to use anti malaria tools to stop this disease.
In Senegal the campaign has been very effective and we are seeing impressive improvements in bed net usage and an understand that you truly don’t have to live with malaria. Such behavior change activities are central to success in the challenge of ridding the world of malaria. We have nets but we need families to use them. We have drugs but we need modes of distribution that utilize them correctly. It is an important step in the effort and Malaria No More is dedicated to seeing behaviors change for the better.
Part of this though is understanding the audience. As we discuss how to roll out Surround Sound in other countries we are keen to realize the differing context in each nation and the story of the people there. In the Al Jazeerainterview Youssou talk about this and gives and impressive answer.
What other issues do you think the media aren’t covering in Africa?
You know Africa is one picture, one continent – but it is comprised of (more than 50) countries and every single country is different. Different languages and different riches.
We have to show the difficulties of the continent but we have to make sure people understand that this is a continent with many countries and every single country has a government and a president who are responsible locally and they are not doing good everywhere at the same level.
In music when you get just one track you get mono – what I am saying is that we should listen to Africa in stereophonic.
We will continue to listen to Africa in stereo and we hope you will join us.
Another story on a vaccine heading to human trials. In this update we hear tha and Austrailian firm is planning trials in conjunction with Walter Reed Army Medical Research. The Gates funded research is set to head into trials early 2010. We will keep an eye out.
The Associated Press is highlighting unique vaccine testing that is using the same mosquito bite that spreads malaria to combat it.
Scientists used mosquitoes as flying needles to deliver a “vaccine” of live malaria parasites through their bites.
The results were astounding: Everyone in the vaccine group acquired immunity to malaria; everyone in a non-vaccinated comparison group did not, and developed malaria when exposed to the parasites later.
Any work with positive results on a vaccine is exciting and an important tool helping us one day realize the end to malaria deaths.
The interesting thing about these human studies is that I wonder who signs up to be bitten by a malarial mosquito?!
This short video clip came form our friends at Dakar Calling, another Malaria No More project. It provides a health worker’s account of net distribution and how it is being paired with vitamin and deworming campaigns as well.
Pooja Gupta over on the ONE blog recaps the recent UN report stating that the Millennium Development Goals have not realized enough progress to be accomplished by 2015.
With six years to go until the 2015 deadline to achieve most of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), not enough progress has been made toward reaching them, says the UN’s 2009 Millennium Development Goals Report. The global economic and food crises, as well as the growing effects of climate change have not only exacerbated the slow progress, but also threaten to reverse previously-gained successes.
One way to improve the progess of MDGs is to lift the burden of malaria off of economies and health systems across the globe. As malaria ceases to be an issue, governments, NGOs and family can focus on other concerns and improve their lives.
We are tracking a study highlighted on the Kaiser Foundation website that looks into the susceptibility of children to malaria when they are exposed to the parasite before birth.
The Policy Center team happened to be in Tanzania at the same time as the Director of the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), Admiral Tim Ziemer and his communications director, Chris Thomas. The PMI team was on site for a bed net distribution and we caught up with Chris to hear more:
Tanzania is currently implementing an Under Five Coverage Campaign (U5CCC), a free net distribution for all children from zero to five years of age. The campaign is being jointly funded by the GFATM, the World Bank, PMI and Malaria No More. On Saturday, July 11, a team from PBS’ NewsHour with Jim Lehrer visited free Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Nets (LLINs) a distribution point to households for each child under five years of age in the Mwanza region in the Lake zone of Tanzania.
The U5CC will be followed by a Universal Coverage Campaign (UCC) in early 2010. The UCC will distribute an additional 14.6 million LLINs, with the aim of reaching the target of 2.5 LLINs per household. PMI/Tanzania will contribute 1 million nets toward the UCC, targeting the Kagera region that has the highest malaria prevalence in Tanzania.
There are five contractors managing the U5CC and net-retreatment. A2Z is responsible for supply of LLINs and delivering them to the villages. MEDA is responsible for the logistics. World Vision is responsible for the registration and training of VEOs and WEOs, PSI is responsible for community mobilization, and Campaign International is managing the net-retreatment. PMI/Tanzania, on top of providing 1 million LLINs and funds for operations of the exercise, will also fund the hung-up campaign to ensure that people sleep under nets they have received during the campaign.
Below are some videos Chris took while in Tanzania.
GenVec, a Maryland company, is extending its work with PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative for another $2 million in support of feasibility studies on potential malaria vaccines.
Work towards a vaccine is a vital part of effort to ends malaria deaths and it is exciting to see a program initially funded by the Gates Foundation, extend itself and continue work. Paired with other tools like bed nets, spraying and treatment, this reasearch represents the mutli faceted approach to ending this disease.
Following up on its Special Report on malaria control programs, the Lancet published an editorial citing concerns of the global economy and calling for continue momentum in the fight against malaria.
Recognizing that efforts are underway to stop artemisinin resistence in Asia and that funding remains fragile for malaria programs, the journal argues that political leaders must maintain pleadges to end deaths from this disease.
“What some fear now is that, with the financial crisis and emerging reports of resistence to artemisinin, plans for elimination will slip off the agenda. But political leaders need to weather these storms and maintain their promises and commitments to control malaria. Too much has been gained so far to lose momentum for malaria elimination. “
Seeing an end to malaria deaths is something we can realize in the next decade, but the Lancet is right, we need to show the political and social will to see it through.
As we have mentioned, a big part of the Policy Center’s journey to Tanzania was to prepare the way for a potential Surround Sound campaign – mass awareness and education effort – in the country. We met with business, government and faith leaders with one thing in mind, how we can better teach people that malaria is not a way of life and there are tools we can use to be free from the oppression of this disease.
Convinced that young children and mothers are the ones that most need this knowledge we turned to the leaders at the Ministry of Education to pick their brains on reaching the over 10 million students in Tanzania.
The Ministry agreed that malaria is one of the key distractions from a healthy educational experience and they laid out strategies for distribution of materials, bed nets and medicines to fight malaria.
It is a recognition that children sick with malaria can not learn to read and raise themselves out of poverty and desperation.
The Policy Center will now work with our Malaria No More partners to develop materials that would be best used in the classrooms throughout the country. These will be dynamic tools to change perspectives on the disease and what life could be like without malaria.
We can reach children where they are and help them to fight malaria. There is no higher goal.
