Scanning the Science section of Today’s paper, I read the above headline. My god, I thought, how could this be happening already and how could I not know about it?
Looking closer, I spotted a small “eyebrow line” (old newspaper lingo) above the headline that said in light bold type “MALARIA.” Thus, instead of getting excited I felt a bit depressed. I suppose a decline of 25% in malaria deaths is a good thing, but for me the glass is half empty.
I would have thought by now Malaria had been virtually eradicated, yet in 2010 some 655,000 people, mostly children, died from this mosquito-borne infection. The problem comes down to money, of course. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria raises $2 billion a year, but it really needs $6 billion.
$6 billion may seem like a lot of money. But to put this in perspective, $6 billion is what is costs to fight the war in Afghanistan for 3 weeks!
If you want to do something about Malaria, you can! Just make a donation to Nothing But Nets. For $10 they will send an insecticide-treated mosquito net to an endangered adult or child and they will provide instructions on proper use.
Mosquito nets are good for about three years and then they need to be replaced so make a habit of donating on a regular basis. You can make a difference!
Related: Insect and Disinfectant Fogger