As we find ourselves firmly in midsummer, today marks 170 days until the end of 2010—the goal that the United Nations Secretary-General set, with the entire malaria community behind him, for providing universal access to mosquito nets for every family at risk of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa.

With that deadline looming, we thought that now would be a good time to take stock of an exciting first half of 2010 for the fight against malaria, marked by incredible progress and leadership:

• According to a UNICEF report, African children are using nets in 2009 in far greater proportions than in 2000—in 11 countries, it’s a 10-fold increase!
• African leaders are showing their commitment to the fight against malaria in their borders, with the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) announcing joint efforts to battle disease at the World Economic Forum in Tanzania.
• The majority of African countries have developed national, domestically-owned and -operated plans for achieving the universal coverage targets, including monthly distribution plans for insecticide-treated nets.
• Child mortality is decreasing—and more rapidly than ever before—from all causes, including malaria, according to medical journal The Lancet.
• African entertainers from West to East are generating buzz by making malaria part of their pop culture messaging, inspiring audiences to tackle malaria in their communities with projects like Zinduka! in Tanzania and Xeex Sibbiru in Senegal.

While this momentum is encouraging, these gains will only be continued by sustained effort and support by donor and national governments, local and international organizations, and individual families fighting malaria on the front lines.

Our goal is not simply to end malaria deaths in Africa by 2015. It’s to end malaria deaths in 2015, in 2016, in 2017 and so on. Our goal is to reach a day when no one is dying from the bite of a malarial mosquito, ever again.

Tags: ALMA, progress, UNICEF, Zanzibar

Tags: ALMA, progress, UNICEF, Zanzibar
Categories:Africa, Data/Reports, News, United Nations