WORLD MALARIA DAY...Dia Mundial da Luta Contra a Malária

 Dia Mundial da Luta contra a Malária

A edição 2012 do Dia Mundial da Luta contra a Malária tem por mote "Sustentar Ganhos, Salvar Vidas: Investir na Malária" para fazer deste o ano decisivo na história do controlo da doença.

Desde 2002, a morte por malária reduziu um terço em África e 50% noutras regiões do globo, onde a doença tem menor incidência. Portugal está implicado no grupo internacional Malaria Erradication Agenda, que investiga e desenvolve uma variedade de abordagens no combate à doença. É o caso da Unidade de Malária do Instituto de Medicina Molecular (IMM) da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, do Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC) e do Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT). O Expresso entrevistou Maria Mota, diretora do IMM, e Miguel Soares, investigador do IGC.

Ler mais: http://expresso.sapo.pt/dia-mundial-da-luta-contra-a-malaria=f720531#ixzz1t4XWbmrS

 

 Sustain Gains, Save Lives: Invest in Malaria

 by World Malaria Day team, http://www.worldmalariaday.org/live_detail_en.cfm?id=647

The theme for World Malaria Day 2012 - Sustain Gains, Save Lives: Invest in Malaria - marks a decisive juncture in the history of malaria control. Whether the malaria map will keep shrinking, as it has in the past decade, or be reclaimed by the malaria parasites, depends, to a great extent, on the resources that will be invested in control efforts over the next years.

Investments in malaria control have created unprecedented momentum and yielded remarkable returns in the past years. In Africa, malaria deaths have been cut by one third within the last decade; outside of Africa, 35 out of the 53 countries, affected by malaria, have reduced cases by 50% in the same time period. In countries where access to malaria control interventions has improved most significantly, overall child mortality rates have fallen by approximately 20%.

However, these gains are fragile and will be reversed unless malaria continues to be a priority for global, regional and national decision-makers and donors. Despite the current economic climate, development aid needs to continue flowing to national malaria control programs to ensure widespread population access to life-saving and cost-effective interventions. Long-term success will also depend on investments in on-going research and development to combat emerging threats such as parasite resistance.

Sustaining malaria control efforts is an investment in development. Continued investment in malaria control now will propel malaria-endemic countries along the path to achieving the 2015 Millennium Development Goals, especially those relating to improving child survival and maternal health, eradicating extreme poverty and expanding access to education.