United Methodists to launch malaria prevention program
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A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose A mother feeds her malaria-stricken child at United Methodist Chicuque Rural Hospital in Mozambique.
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A
mother feeds her child in the malaria ward of United Methodist Chicuque
Rural Hospital in Chicuque, Mozambique. About 90 percent of the 300
million to 600 million people affected by this preventable and treatable
disease live in sub-Saharan Africa. The United Methodist Board of
Global Ministries is creating a health ministry to help eradicate the
disease. A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose. Photo #05-557. Accompanies UMNS
story #441. 8/08/05 |
Aug. 8, 2005
By Linda Bloom*
NEW YORK (UMNS) - When the Rev. R. Randy Day talks with United Methodist
pastors in Africa, each one personally knows someone who has died from
malaria.
About 90 percent of the 300 million to 600 million people affected by
this preventable and treatable disease live in sub-Saharan Africa. A
fifth of the region's children under age 5 die from malaria.
"It impacts the larger Methodist family across Africa and all other Africans," Day said.
That's why the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries - where Day
serves as chief executive - is creating a health ministry to help
eradicate the disease.
While malaria remains a global problem, it is the leading cause of death
among young children in Africa, killing a child every 30 seconds,
according to the World Health Organization.
The United Methodist Community Based Malaria Prevention Program will be
launched on a small scale in Sierra Leone in early December. Cherian
Thomas, M.D., an executive with the board's health and welfare unit, is
in charge of the program, which will be administered through the United
Methodist Committee on Relief.
Day believes that being able to significantly reduce the number of malaria deaths is "a matter of spiritual and political will."
Although the program's initial budget is small, "on faith, we're
stepping out to say we think United Methodists will respond," he added.
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Photo courtesy of Centers for Disease Control The anopheles funestus mosquito is one of the two most important malaria carriers in Africa.
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An
anopheles funestus mosquito, one of the two most important malaria
carriers in Africa, feeds on its human host. About 90 percent of the 300
million to 600 million people affected by this preventable and
treatable disease live in sub-Saharan Africa. The United Methodist Board
of Global Ministries is creating a health ministry to help eradicate
the disease. A UMNS photo by James Gathany and Frank Collins, Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention. Photo #05-558. Accompanies UMNS
story #441. 8/08/05 |
A special fund for the malaria prevention program has been established
with the denomination's Advance for Christ and His Church, a
"second-mile" voluntary giving program. The Advance Special offers a way
for United Methodists to participate in the malaria program as
individuals or through local churches, districts and conferences. As a
mission project, the program touches upon issues of health care, poverty
and the needs of children.
Day hopes the church can coordinate its efforts with aid groups working
on the malaria problem, in particular by providing an infrastructure to
reach local communities. "One of the great advantages we have is that we
are a grass-roots organization," he said.
Although medical diagnosis and treatment of malaria cases is important,
"equally important is the community mobilization for prevention," Thomas
said. "That's the tough one."
The United Methodist Maternity and Health Center in Kissy, Sierra Leone,
will host a workshop in early December to begin training. Participants
are expected from Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana and Nigeria.
To be successful, each community must assume responsibility for the
prevention project, according to Thomas. Community prevention techniques
include the identification and cleanup of mosquito breeding grounds,
the use of proper mosquito netting, and the use of medicines for
prevention and treatment.
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