Global Networking Against Malaria
MALARIA
IN THE NEWS
OUR
CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT A BAN OF DDT FOR MALARIA CONTROL HAS
BEEN SUCCESSFUL!
Thanks to all!
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NEW
DOCUMENTS AND ARTICLES
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Please voice your opinions on
1) the DDT issue
2) Pesticide Spraying techniques
(discussion
format in the MFI Communication
Center.
Research
Initiative on Traditional Antimalarial Methods (RITAM)
A
recent research intitiative established with The Global
Initiative For Traditional Systems (GIFTS) of Health, University
of Oxford & The Tropical Disease Research Programme (TDR)
of the World Health Organisation.
Scientists
Create First Detailed Genetic Map of Malaria Parasite
A
research effort led by scientists at the National Institute
of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has produced
the first high-resolution genetic map of Plasmodium falciparum,
the deadliest malaria parasite. The map along with a report
describing its construction appears in the journal Science.
Read the NIH News
Releas
Senator John Kerry's statement
from 12 October 1999 upon introducing the Lifesaving Vaccine
Technology Act
Malaria
is a barrier to economic development. Highly malarious countries
grew one percent less per year, compared to countries without
malaria during 1965-1990, even considering economic policy.
The annual loss of growth from malaria is estimated to range
as high as 1.3 percentage points per year. If this loss
is compounded for fifteen years, the GNP level in the fifteenth
year is reduced by nearly a fifth, and the toll continues
to mount with time, as losses from malaria retard development.
Dr. Jeffrey Sachs of the
Center for International Development at Harvard University
is working with Roll Back Malaria and has a developing website
devoted to malaria that will discuss an upcoming book The
Economics of Malaria.
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PRESS
RELEASES
Roll
Back Malaria is a partnership working to halve the incidence
of malaria world wide by 2010.
Roll Back Malaria is working on reducing the impact of a
malaria epidemic in Burundi [see also press
release from Médecins Sans Frontières].
RBM has recently held a workshop
on capacity-building [MS Word].
RBM completed the African Summit on Roll Back Malaria in
Abuja, Nigeria on 24-25 April 2000.
RBM's strength lies in its ability to from effective partnerships
both globally and nationally. Key players from the world
of finance and commerce, government, development agencies,
non-governmental organisations are working together.
During the conference, $750 million dollars in financial
commitments to the RBM effort were announced. Roll Back
Malaria is still in the planning stages in the various regions.
However, it has accomplished a good deal of the large-scale
planning. RBM is working on prompt drug treatment of cases
coupled with use of vector control measures, such as bednets
to block malaria transmission expecially among children
and the elderly, the most vulnerable groups. During the
African Summit on RBM, debt relief for the most impoverished
countries was discussed as a way to financially speed up
malaria work. We anticipate many exciting developments to
come from RBM, and will keep these posted at this site.
Stay tuned!
RBM
launched its website on 24 April 2000. The site has many
resources, including progress reports, maps of malaria risk
for individual countries, RBM and WHO documents in PDF and
MS Word forms and news releases. The site also has an individualized
interface that allows users to register and select their
country and field of interest.
Roll Back Malaria has launched a quarterly newspaper to
keep its worldwide network of workers informed and up-to-date
with the latest developments, progress, and success of the
RBM Movement.
New
at RBM Site
A simple malaria surveillance system, based on Geographical
Information Systems (GIS), has been designed to support
malaria control in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, southern India
and was formally inaugurated on 19 November 1999 to mark
World GIS Day. Plans are underway to extend the system into
other malarious districts of Tamil Nadu to allow them to
achieve cost-effective and rapid malaria control.
MFI provides updates and links to Roll
Back Malaria news and resources at this site.
WE
WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Malaria success
stories are now being collected for publication. Read details
and find contact information here!
The Multilateral Initiative
on Malaria [MIM] is an effort to increase international
collaboration on malaria. MIM is accomplishing many of its
goals, including promotion of communication on the public
health importance of malaria, promotion of scientific collaboration,
genome sequencing work, and interaction between scientists
and the development community. A summary of malaria research
news
is available, as is a developing resource
library.
Malaria
Vaccine Initiative establishes partnership with Emory Vaccine
Research Center at Yerkes to test malaria vaccine candidates
10
January 2001 Media contact: Lilli Kim, 404-727-7709,
llkim@rmy.emory.edu
Under the
auspices of a newly formed partnership with the Malaria
Vaccine Initiative(MVI) at PATH (Program for Appropriate
Technology in Health), the Emory University Vaccine Research
Center has begun the first of a series of malaria vaccine
trials that researchers hope will significantly advance
progress toward an effective vaccine.
Heading the
trials is Mary Galinski, Ph.D., of the Division of Infectious
Diseases of Emory’s Department of Medicine and an affiliate
scientist at the Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center,
where the Vaccine Research Center is located. The trials
are sponsored by the Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) at
PATH, a non-profit organization that conducts health programs
around the world.
The
Federal Malaria Vaccine
Coordinating Committee (FMVCC) is
an interagency working group composed of representatives
of agencies of the U.S. Federal Government that have an
interest in and commitment to the global prevention and
control of malaria. Because vaccines have proven to be cost-effective
means of disease control, representatives of these agencies
desire to promote the development, evaluation, production
and widespread deployment of safe and effective malaria
vaccines, either alone or in combination with other malaria
control measures. In recognition of the diverse activities,
expertise and resources that such a process requires, participating
representatives agree to facilitate all phases of the process
through sharing information and expertise, identifying,
developing, and communicating priorities, and collaborating
actively and assisting in coordinated efforts with each
other and other agencies.
* DetermineTM
Abbott Laboratories' 15-minute, 2 step rapid assay for
P.falciparum.
*Cortez
Diagnostics has a test available.
*MalaQuick
test.
* OptiMAL
Flow, Inc. produces, a rapid malaria assay.
*MAKRO-MALTM
Rapid Test is a test for Plasmodium falciparum.
*
PATH lists additional assays for P. falciparum.
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Malaria
and Rational Use of Insecticides
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Insecticides break
the contact between vectors and people, thus breaking the cycle
of malaria transmission. Random trials in the Gambia, Kenya, Ghana
and Burkina Faso show that 30% of
child deaths could be avoided if children slept under bednets regularly
treated with recommended insecticides, such as pyrethroids that
are relatives of an extract from chrysanthemum plants. Insecticides
are thus a useful tool in malaria control, in addition to source
reduction and drug treatment. As the vectors of malaria are quite
different in their behavior and resistance status, different insecticides
are useful in different malaria transmission situations. It is dangerous
to totally ban compounds that are relatively safe when used indoors
and that can save lives.
The American Council on Science
and Health is an organization composed of scientists and engineers
who work to present balanced, scientifically sound analyses of current
health topics, even where controversy is involved. Commentary
on malaria situation in Mozambique and Southern Africa.
Commentary
with references on DDT from Barry Hearn, who also has a malaria
clock that functions best in MSIE.
SATELLIFE
(USA) and SATELLIFE HEALTHNET KENYA are pleased to announce
the opening of the Regional Information Technology Training
Centre (RITTC) in Nairobi, Kenya. The RITTC will provide training
in the use of basic information technology to health professionals.
For more information, contact:
SATELLIFE HEALTHNET KENYA Director, infoDev Project Kenyatta
National Hospital Training Centre Rahimtullah Wing, 1st Floor
Hospital Road, Off Ngong Road P.O. Box 29750 Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: +254-2-724543 or 714757 Fax: +254-2-724590 email:RITTC@healthnet.or.ke
or
SATELLIFE (USA) Director of Programs 30 California Street Watertown,
MA, 02472 USA Tel: 1-617-926-9400 Fax: 1-617-926-1212 email:RITTC@usa.healthnet.org
Partnerships
Release
of the UNDP/World Bank/TDR CD-ROM of malaria information
(Details)
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