It is World Malaria Day and I am here to share my thoughts on the issue of malaria.
First let me deal with the title of this blog. Malaria affects 50 of the 53 African countries but it often doesn’t make the sort of headlines that for instance HIV and AIDS does and as such some activists have reached the conclusion that this is because MALARIA ISN’T SEXY!
What on earth do they mean?
Ida Horner
This however isn’t the case for millions in the developing world that have to sleep with mosquitoes everyday with dire consequences. The question is are we doing enough to end the suffering for millions of people worldwide.
Malaria has a direct impact on the economic out put of people in malaria infected areas so as well as campaigns like MAKE POVERTY HISTORY, we should focus our attention on the eradication of malaria. If people in the developing regions cannot go to work because they are infected with malaria, they are likely to go hungry, will not be able to pay for the drugs required to rid their bodies of malaria and this makes them more and more dependent on AID.
As you can see in this CNN video there are some practical things that can be done as dealing with open sewers. These are more common in city slums.
If we agree that malaria has a direct impact on poverty should anti-malaria drugs be free? I would also call for more educational programmes that would help people have a clearer understanding of what they can do to protect themselves against malaria.
What are your thoughts? Are you doing anything to help fight malaria? If so let’s hear it
About idahorner
Ida, I have read your posts on this today and one of the things I have just thought about is the 'sexiness' of an illness. I am told that Diarrhea causes more actual deaths per year than Aids, I guess wearing a brown ribbon isn't trendy, no illness should be ignored just because the story is not pretty/sexy enough for the medium it's being used in.
What PR would a drugs / Pharmaceutical company get if they created an anti malaria vaccine? The resulting press and goodwill would be worth millions to them, far more than the cost of creating such a vaccine and delivering it for free.
Can you imagine all the positive press a drugs/pharmaceutical company would get for boosting the African economy this way? You could not put a price on something so brilliant for Africa, yet would be talked about worldwide for decades to come.
Obviously, they make more money from the anti malarial drugs and curing it ceases that revenue source – we are back to money again!
Sarah, most of this doesn't make sense indeed and as you say a cure for malaria may indeed affect someone's balance sheet and they would not be very happy about this.
Something crossed my mind as I read your response, with increased travel the world is becoming smaller and the diseases that used to be associated with far away places are getting closer too. Will that force the powers that be to rethink research strategies as well as who has access to medicines?
Sarah, most of this doesn't make sense indeed and as you say a cure for malaria may indeed affect someone's balance sheet and they would not be very happy about this.
Something crossed my mind as I read your response, with increased travel the world is becoming smaller and the diseases that used to be associated with far away places are getting closer too. Will that force the powers that be to rethink research strategies as well as who has access to medicines?