Malaria No More

On April 17th, GCY Senegal fellows met up in Dakar for a public awareness campaign in the fight against poverty.  The event was spearheaded by Malaria No More (MNM), an organization working across Africa to end malaria caused deaths by 2015.  Currently, a child dies of malaria every 45 seconds.  Although the situation is grim, malaria, a parasitical disease spread by mosquitoes, is fully preventable and treatable.  Through “education families, communities and governments on the ground in Africa about what causes malaria,” the distribution of insecticide treated bed-nets, and treatment, MNM is making strong headway against the disease.  Along with other organizations such as the World Health Organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Global Fund, and many others, hundreds of thousands of lives are being saved every year.  Yet, malaria still caused 781,000 deaths and twelve billion dollars in lost economic productivity in 2009 alone.  Malaria was eradicated in the United States in the 1950s; it’s time malaria deaths are ended throughout the areas of the world where is still rages.