Father’s day: Beckham reflects on Malaria as Africa’s killer

Father’s day: Beckham reflects on Malaria as Africa‘s killer

By The Sun Sun 19 June 2011, 08:59 CAT   [581 Reads, 0 Comment(s)]

Helping hand … David Beckham visiting Sierra Leone in 2008

TOMORROW is Father’s Day and I’ll be with my family at our home in LA enjoying time together and looking forward to the arrival of our baby girl in just a few weeks.Being a parent is very rewarding but as mums and dads everywhere know all too well, having kids certainly keeps you on your toes.We’re really lucky to live in a place where we can make sure our kids are well looked after.I know that for many families around the world, it is very difficult as they live with the threat of serious diseases such as malaria.This is not something that people in the UK or US need to really think about, but in Africa it’s a daily threat to family life.

I’ve learned about malaria from my time in Sierra Leone and South Africa as a Unicef Goodwill Ambassador and also from my role on the Leadership Council with Malaria No More UK.

It’s a privilege to support these charities who do such important work to protect vulnerable families around the world.
Having a family and expecting a new baby should be a special time to be enjoyed, but in parts of Africa the day-to-day reality is that your wife or one of your children might well catch malaria and there is nothing you can do about it – it must be awful.

No father anywhere should lose his family to malaria.

I can’t imagine what it must be like to live with this constant fear for your family, as so many dads will be doing right now. If your child does catch malaria they’ll need lifesaving medicine quickly.

This can be a real problem if you don’t have much money and the closest hospital or clinic is miles away, so you’ve got no choice but to walk there which can take days.

Although malaria is preventable and treatable, malaria during pregnancy still claims the lives of 10,000 pregnant women and 200,000 babies each year.

I’m fortunate that I can do something to help. That’s why I back Malaria No More.

People need to know about the charity’s goal to help end deaths from malaria and that our support is making a difference.

Last year the charity helped protect more than two million people from the disease in Africa.

In the last ten years global malaria deaths have dropped by 20 per cent – this is really great news.

Simple things such as mosquito nets help save lives and I’d encourage anyone who can to donate to Malaria No More UK this Father’s Day.

A little really does go a long way – and a donation of just £5 is enough to buy, deliver and hang a mosquito net to protect a mother and child in Africa.

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/malaria-no-more/3645592/Beckham-backs-Malaria-No-More-UK.html#ixzz1PheKzGEG

Cambodia launches campaign to mark national day against dengue

PHNOM PENH (Xinhua) – Cambodia launched a large-scale campaign here on Monday to mark the national day against dengue fever as the country’s annual rainy season came.

The event was jointly launched by Minister of Health Mam Bunheng and Minister of Education Im Sithy, and participated by government officials, representatives of World Health Organization, relevant stakeholders and some 500 students.

Speaking during the launching, Mam Bunheng said that the celebration was to promote awareness among the public and to encourage them to join together to prevent dengue fever.

“Dengue is caused by mosquitoes, so to prevent the disease, I’d like to appeal to all parents, guardians and students to kill larvae by using the chemical substance known as Abate in water pots and other still water sources,” he said. “Moreover, we have to fill in puddles around houses, which are sources of mosquitoes.”

The minister also encouraged people to sleep under mosquito nets and to raise “seven-colored” fish in their water pots to eat larva.

The outbreak of dengue fever usually begins at the onset of the rainy season from May to October in Cambodia.

The disease causes an acute illness of sudden onset that usually follows symptoms such as headache, fever, exhaustion, severe muscle and joint pain, swollen glands and rash.

At least 11 Cambodian children have died from the disease so far this year with other 1,924 infected, said Ngan Chantha, Director of Dengue Control at the Ministry of Health. It is “a sharp increase” from last year’s 7 deaths with 1,395 infected cases. More

 

 

Rise in Pre-Monsoon Malaria Cases in Mumbai

PUNE: Even before the onset of the monsoon, Maharashtra has recorded over 28,000 cases of malaria. From January to April this year, 28,400 people were found positive for malarial infection – an increase of over 8,000 cases as compared to the corresponding period last year when 20,091 cases were reported.

With 16,833 positive cases and 11 deaths due to malaria in the last four months,Mumbai continues to bear the highest burden of the disease in the state followed by Thane (709 cases) and Kalyan (182 cases). More