UNICEF NEWS

Out of control in Africa’

Over a million people die from malaria each year, the vast majority in Africa and most of them children under the age of five. In fact, the disease kills a child every 30 seconds, or about 3,000 children every day.
Yet malaria is preventable – a point stressed by Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Director of Columbia University’s Earth Institute, who was present at the premiere and participated in the pre-screening panel discussion. Mr. Sachs is also Director of the UN Millennium Project and Special Advisor to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the Millennium Development Goals.“Malaria remains basically out of control in Africa, even though we have the means to decisively bring it under control,” he said. “Insecticide-treated bed nets, effective medicines and a combination of therapies, indoor residual spraying in some places, good community health – these components mean that we can bring the number of deaths down by 80 percent, down by 90 percent.”

UNICEF has been helping countries around the world to take effective action against malaria, particularly by promoting the use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets.
“One of the most effective interventions is to make sure that all children and mothers sleep under impregnated mosquito nets,” UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Kul Gautam said at the screening. “These mosquito nets cost only five dollars apiece. If all the children of Africa slept under mosquito nets, a quarter of a million children would not die every year.”
Also during the event, Mr. N’Dour announced the launch of the Youssou N’Dour Fund in collaboration with the non-profit IntraHealth International. The fund will help promote malaria prevention and improved health for vulnerable African mothers and children.
‘Africa LIVE: The Roll Back Malaria Concert’ will air on Thursday, 6 April, on PBS in the United States. The film is being released in the run-up to Africa Malaria Day, 25 April, when the world community shows solidarity with African countries battling this scourge.