More welcome publicity today for malaria, a disease which
according to the WHO still kills more than a million people every year.
In the UK the BBC’s Today Programme featured Professor Chris Whitty, a trustee of the aid agency Merlin.
Professor Whitty made the point that conflicts can
exacerbate effects of malaria. He explained that war typically causes a
breakdown in health services and makes spraying (‘indoor residual spraying',
IRS) far more difficult.
Asked whether global warming caused malaria and threatened
to bring it back to Europe, Professor Whitty responded ‘I don’t think global
warming would cause it … it’s not really because of global warming’.
This echoes the arguments provided by expert on insect-borne diseases Paul Reiter
regarding the fallacy of global warming-induced malaria.
The BBC’s
website also includes an article featuring contributors from Merlin. They
make the same points about conflict causing a breakdown in health services, a
decline in spraying and often resulting in large numbers of people being
exposed to malaria near breeding sites. They also note the futility of bed-nets
in such circumstances:
‘But nets don't work
so well if, like many displaced people, you have no bed, and no home’
Note: If you want to listen, the interview was broadcast around 6:55am.
World Malaria Day is April 25, 2008. Africa Fighting Malaria is issuing a Call to Action to support indoor residual spraying, a highly effective, World Health Organization-approved method of malaria control – check out our interactive Africa map: http://fightingmalaria.org/issues.aspx?issue=14
Also check out our new video and support AFM's fight against malaria! http://fightingmalaria.org/AFMInAction/
Posted by: Africa Fighting Malaria | 25 April 2008 at 06:10 PM