Africa Malaria Day 2007 Celebrations in Ethiopia
20 April 2007
Joint Press Release for the Commemoration of the
Africa Malaria Day 2007
By
Federal Ministry of Health
And
Malaria Control Support Team (MCST)
ADDIS ABABA, 23, APRIL 2007: It is exactly Seven years to the day that, in an unprecedented and historic setting, a gathering of the highest political leadership of Africa was convened to deliberate upon a single issue considered inimical to development and progress of the peoples of the continent. On that 25th day of April 2000, African Heads of State and Government, with Senior Representatives from 44 malaria-endemic countries participated in the first-ever Summit on a health problem - Malaria - in Abuja, Nigeria. At the Summit, the leaders recognized the intolerable and unacceptable burden of malaria on the people of Africa, and signed the Abuja Declaration and Plan of Action. They committed their governments to work with partners in a multi-pronged and multi-sectoral approach, to halve the burden of malaria in Africa by 2010. Since that historic meeting, the 25th day of April of each year has been commemorated as the Africa Malaria Day (AMD).
Seven years after the Summit, malaria remains a major contributor to the disease burden in Africa. Out of the 300-400 million annual cases of malaria worldwide, more than 90% are reported from Africa south of the Sahara. In Ethiopia, malaria is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Almost 75% of the land is malarious and an estimated 51 million people (68% of the population) live in areas at risk of malaria. Annually, 5-6 million clinical malaria cases and close to one million confirmed malaria cases are reported from health facilities. In addition to the health problems, the impact of the disease on social and economic wellbeing of the affected communities, particularly during epidemics is immense.
However, these epidemiological figures are on the edge of spectacular change. Ethiopia's long and hard battle with the scourge of malaria has reached a turning point. In the last three years we are seeing a remarkable decline in the above statistics. This is happening due to governments and partners consorted effort. Our government is engaged in one of Africa's largest and most ambitious roll-out of Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Nets (LLINs), Rapid Diagnostic Testing (RDT) kits and the new and highly effective drug Coartem.
To date we have distributed 15.8 of the 20 million LLINs to reach 10 million households estimated to be residing in malarious areas. Each household will receive on average 2 LLINs free of charge that will mainly be used by women and children. We and our partners, has secured funding to distribute 20 million of those nets to meet the target set by August 2007. Significant steps are also in progress to scale up access to prompt diagnosis and effective treatment malaria cases and scaling up of Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) of houses in epidemic prone areas of the country. When we reach that target, we will have struck a decisive blow against the spread of malaria.
The theme of the 2007 AMD is "FREE AFRICA FROM MALARIA NOW", and the slogan is: "LEADERSHIP AND PARTNERSHIP FOR RESULT". The focus of this year's AMD will, therefore, be on the need to work in partnership to reverse the progression of malaria and make a significant impact. It is a call to all stakeholders in the fight against malaria in the Region - communities, governments at all levels, NGOs, research institutions, private sector, development partners, and others - that the fight against malaria can only be won if we all work together. The Africa Malaria Day is one such occasion aimed at raising awareness on the health and socio-economic problems caused by malaria, efforts that should be done to its prevention and control and to maintain sustained support and commitment from communities, governments, donors, partners, civil society, research and academic institutions and the private sector.
In addition to commemorating the day this year celebration is special because we are also launching two other malaria related initiative at National and continental levels. The first would be the launching of ‘National Millennium Anti-malaria Campaign' and the launching of ‘Africa Malaria Elimination Strategy'.
At the end of the current Ethiopian calendar year, Ethiopian Millennium will be commemorated throughout the country. This grand event will create a unique opportunity for the Federal Ministry of Health to embark on Millennium anti-malaria campaign which aims at diminishing the malaria burden and sustaining the low transmission rate then after, through implementation of highly focused malaria prevention and control interventions in selected highly epidemic-prone districts of the country. The campaign will take place in two phases. Phase I will last up to the Millennium commemoration day while phase II extends beyond the commemoration day for about a year.
The National Millennium Anti-malaria Campaign will focus on the following strategies/activities: 1) Intensive social mobilization activities through conducting sensitization, orientation meetings, production and distribution of printed IEC materials, use of Radio and TV spots to transmit key messages; 2) Vector control to achieve at least 100% coverage of ITNs, to increase Indoor residual spraying of dwelling structures (IRS) by at least 15% and to train health workers on IRS to improve quality of spray; and 3) Improve case management mainly through increased access to treatment by ensuring availability of anti-malarial drugs in all health facilities and conducting an active search for fever cases and giving appropriate treatment.
The Ministers of Health of the African Union meeting at the 3rd Ordinary Session of their Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, 9 -13 April 2007 under the theme "Strengthening of Health Systems for Equity and Development" committed themselves to implementing the Continental Africa Malaria Elimination Campaign and to launching similar campaigns at national level on 25th April 2007, on the occasion of Africa Malaria Control Day. It is in accordance with this "Johannesburg Declaration" that the launching of implementing the Continental Africa Malaria Elimination Campaign is taking place on the day of AMD.
In Ethiopia, until this year AMDs were being commemorated every year with various events mostly in the capital, Addis Ababa. This year, however, the Federal Ministry of Health and MCST has decided to commemorate this important day, in Meki town, in Oromia Region, some 125 kilometers on the main road to Hawasa. Meki area is one of the numerous areas that have suffered a lot due to repeated epidemics in the last several years.
Various events and activities will take place before and on the commemoration day and after the commemoration day. Town cleaning campaign will take place by the dwellers on the eve of the AMD, Road shows will be displayed and films screened in many towns en route to Meki before April 25. On the commemoration day, competitions, question and answer sessions, brief soccer games, short dramas and plays and musical shows will entertain the attending public while at the same time key messages on malaria are being transmitted. The Road show will continue to entertain and inform the public on malaria in all major towns in East Shoa Zone and further down on the main way to Hawasa, before and after April 25.
Senior Government Officials, Local Government officials, donor agencies, partners and communities will attend the gathering which will be held in Meki Stadium on April 25 2007. On the occasion, key note addresses will be delivered by senior government representatives, key partners and local community representatives.
It is likely that Ethiopia would achieve the Abuja targets set at the end of 2010. Let us celebrate our successes and rejoice over the cases of ill health and deaths we have averted through our combined efforts. Let us rededicate ourselves collectively to a more coordinated fight against this public health challenge facing our continent and our country. It is yet another opportunity for the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) partnership to renew our commitments and promises for intensifying the fight against malaria in Ethiopia. "FREE AFRICA FROM MALARIA NOW"
April 23 2007, Federal Ministry of Health and MCST, P.O.Box 1234, Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia
For further information, please contact: Dr. Afework Hailemariam at malaria@ethione.et, Tele: +251-115-150993
