World malaria day

AB: when malaria strikes, you feel back pains, tense joints, loss of appetite. My temperature was always high. Even walking, you’re tired all the time, you’re feeling the fever, it was terrible. AB was lucky, he got medical treatment and survived. The problem is millions of people who contract malaria each year don’t get treated often with fatal consequences. In 2005, President Bush pledged to spend $1.25 billion dollars over five years to help reduce malaria deaths by 50% in parts of Africa. (First off, ND, can you explain to us what the UN and President Bush announced today with concern to malaria?) The Secretary General announced hopes to completely eliminate malaria deaths in Africa. There are 500 million cases of malaria worldwide every year. President Bush has followed through on his promise and asked for appropriations from Congress. So we have a hope real progress can be made. (How achievable are those goals?) Very achievable, in places with large efforts there has already been a big drop in malaria deaths. (What things have been tried in the past that didn’t work?) There needs to be a comprehensive approach, you need to protect the people especially young kids from getting bit at night, and you do that with bed nets sprayed with insecticides. You also need to do house spraying so even the mosquitoes that get through the net cannot pass on malaria. On top of that there needs to be some basic health systems where early treatment and protection can take place. (Are there sufficient resources to succeed?) It’s a start, the starting amounts are reasonable but need to continue to go up. We can get very good control.