Africa losing USD40bn a year to malaria - WEF

BabuK · 2010-05-06T08:18:52+00:00

Africa is losing approximately USD 40bn each year due to the burden of malaria a disease, which could be eliminated, World Economic Forum was told yesterday. Speaking at a press conference at the World Economic Forum in Dar es Salaam yesterday, Clive Tasker, Chief Executive of the Standard Bank Group of South Africa said research had also shown that malaria was costing his company in Tanzania USD 6m/- each year in lost man hours. Tasker made the remarks at a joint press conference with President Jakaya Kikwete who is the chairman of the coalition of the UN backed African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) launched during the United Nations General Assembly in September 2009, and members of the private sector involved in the fight against malaria. Kikwete said the three pronged fight against malaria, which was the number one killer disease, had succeeded in Zanzibar, where the rate of people dying from malaria had been reduced to less than one per cent. In Tanzania, he said, 30 40 per cent of those who attend hospital suffer from malaria. The country is thus intensifying the fight against the disease, starting upcountry, before moving to Dar es Salaam. The three-pronged approach was being applied in Kagera region, and was showing good signs, he said, adding that the fight will be replicated in all the districts with high malaria incidence. ALMA facilitates the sharing of effective malaria control practices and ensures that malaria remains high on the global policy agenda. ALMA members understand that malaria affects over 200 million Africans, killing nearly one million every year. Members of the Private sector present at the conference included songbird Yvonne ChakaChaka, who is UNICEF goodwill ambassador of the roll-back against malaria, Johann O. Koss, President and Chief Executive Officer of Right to Play International, Canada, who is promoting the fight against malaria through sport, and Nozipho January-Bardill, the Group Executive for Corporate Affairs at the telecom giant, MTN. Highlighting the gravity of the malaria problem on African economies, UN envoy Chambers said African was losing USD 40bn each year from the disease, adding that it was possible to eradicate the disease if nations pursued a three-pronged approach in fighting the problem. The approach called for countries to treat the sick, distribute mosquito nets and to spray killer insecticides that destroy breeding grounds of mosquitoes. Meanwhile, President Jakaya Kikwete has underscored the importance of Africa working hand-in-glove with development partners in order to unlock Africas economic potential. Addressing delegates of the Economic Forum he said; Africas growth potential is immerse because it is endowed with vast human and natural resources, but it is underexploited because of lack of the technology, skills and capital. Contributing to a debate on Unlocking African potentials, the Executive Director, United Nations Human Settlements Programme ( UN- Habitat), Prof. Anna Tibaijuka noted that Africa was not making use of the women potential. Prof Tibaijuka who was also the Co-Chairperson of the august meeting said there was a need to invest on the youth saying that Africa had a young population with 60 per cent of them below 30 years of age. SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

Thread starter BabuK
Start date May 6, 2010

BabuK

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Africa losing USD40bn a year to malaria - WEF

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