MALARIA, DISEASE OF AND CAUSE OF POVERTY
It is a general African belief that malaria and poverty are intimate bed fellows. This alone constitutes a major obstacle against the malaria fight. Interestingly, money that ought to be used to foster economic growth in Africa is spent to combat the killer disease. Besides, many a household cannot afford money for medication or to procure insecticide treated mosquito nets and so they suffer and die in penury. The sad story of the untimely death of Hawadak only goes a long way to show how devastating malaria is.
Malaria: The ACT Alternative
The fight against malaria, that hoodoo whose multi-faceted adverse effects cut across the globe and constitute a bane of progress to humanity, is not up for negotiation.
Information: a veritable “mosquitocide”
Information we are told, is power, and good information lays the foundation for successful advocacy. The journalist can only help lay the solid foundation for advocacy in the case of malaria if he gets close to the scientists or researchers to dig out credible information that documents the severity of the malaria burden and the effectiveness of the proposed solutions. Without such credible information it becomes difficult to start and sustain an advocacy campaign. Wain Paul Ngam reports.
