Opinion: Realising Unfinished Business of MDGs : A Call for Greater Action and Investment for Malaria

Dr. Fatoumata Nafo TraoréBy Dr. Fatoumata Nafo TraoréUNITED NATIONS, Apr 20 2015 (IPS)Later this week, communities around the world will commemorate World Malaria Day for the last time in the context of the global development priorities set in 2000.Aspiring for a world free from hunger, poverty and disease, the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were endorsed by the largest gathering of world leaders in history.Humanity’s quest for a sustainable, more equitable and healthier global society cannot succeed without systematic, effective, long-term malaria control and elimination measures in endemic countries.Most of those world leaders have since moved on, but the goals they determined galvanised the planet to work together toward a better future for humanity and spawned health and development partnerships which continue to this day.These unique alliances have evolved over time to meet the changing environment, and, in the case of malaria control and elimination, succeeded exponentially where other development efforts have stalled.Since 2000 and the dawn of the new millennium, over four million lives have been saved by mass distribution of insecticide treated nets, insecticide spraying of interiors, improved malaria treatments and rapid, on the spot, diagnosis of malaria. Over the past 15 years, malaria mortality has decreased by 47 percent worldwide and by 55 percent in Africa alone.In fact, 64 countries have achieved the malaria-specific Millennium Development Goal ...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: Global & Universal Authors: Tags: Active Citizens Aid Civil Society Development & Aid Economy & Trade Global Global Governance Headlines Health IPS UN: Inside the Glasshouse Population Poverty & MDGs TerraViva United Nations Malaria Roll Back Malaria Partnershi Source Type: news