PRESS
RELEASE
25 April
2003
AFRICA
MALARIA DAY - WHY DONOR AGENCIES MAY BE DOING MORE HARM
THAN GOOD
JOHANNESBURG
As Africans mark Africa Malaria Day on 25 April, their leaders
and donor agencies may be taking actions that threaten to
hamper, rather than help, the fight against this deadly
disease.
Though
malaria is a preventable and treatable disease, it still
claims more than 1 million African lives every year.
Over
3 years ago, African head of states signed the Abuja Declaration,
vowing to reduce malaria cases by 50% by 2010 and to eliminate
all taxes on insecticide treated bed nets (ITNs) and drugs.
Yet 26 countries still tax ITNs and other essential healthcare
inputs 1 . According to Richard
Tren, director of Africa Fighting Malaria, "The requests
for aid to fight malaria ring hollow when African governments
continue to tax these inputs"
Misguided
donor agency policies also hinder prevention efforts by
discouraging DDT use.
Most
successful life saving programmes rely on indoor residual
spraying (IRS) with insecticides, primarily using DDT. Extraordinary
gains against malaria have been made in South Africa, Swaziland,
Mozambique and Zambia. In parts of South Africa, malaria
cases have decreased by around 80% in 1 year 2.
On the Zambian Copperbelt, malaria cases have been reduced
by 50% in 1 year and malaria deaths have been reduced to
zero 3. Private funding has also greatly
contributed to the success of the programmes, particularly
in Zambia.
Despite
the proven success of IRS and of DDT, no donor agency will
fund these tools, in the mistaken belief that they are somehow
environmentally unsustainable, preferring to fund only ITNs.
Tren argues that, "By caving in to the unscientific claims
of local environment pressure groups, donor agencies are
greatly undermining the fight against malaria, ensuring
increased mortality and morbidity from the disease and reducing
the chances of successful development. Donors should decide
if they are going to save lives or please Green groups -
they can't do both."
For
more information, contact Richard Tren (South Africa) +27
11 646 6750 (rtren@fightingmalaria.org)
or Roger Bate (US) +1 202 431 5635 (rbate@fightingmalaria.org)
or visit www.fightingmalaria.org
1.See
www.massiveeffort.org for more information on the countries
that have failed to comply with the Abuja Declaration
2. As
part of the Lubombo Spatial Development Initiative, South
Africa, Swaziland and Mozambique have coordinated their
malaria control efforts to great success.
3. See
Sharp et al. (2002), "Malaria control by residual insecticide
spraying in Chingola and Chililabombwe, Copperbelt Province,
Zambia, Tropical Medicine and International Health, Vol
7, No. 9, Sept 2002.
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