Luanda – The Permanent Representation of Angola to the United Nations Office, in Geneva, issued a joint statement this Monday, condemning the growing resistance to public health efforts to control and eliminate malaria in Africa.
In reference to the 25th of April, World Malaria Day, the declaration states that invasive vector mosquitoes, drug and insecticide resistance, as well as climate change, are creating a challenging environment in the fight and elimination of the disease on the continent..
According to a press release, addressed to ANGOP, Africa faces the greatest challenges linked to malaria, more than any other region in the world and in relation to other diseases, with an estimated 595,000 deaths in 2021, and which mainly affects children under five years of age.
He adds that around 70 percent of all malaria cases and deaths are concentrated in 11 countries, without mentioning which ones.
The statement also recalls the warning of the World Health Organization (WHO), according to which the intensity of diseases transmitted by vectors, such as malaria, will increase with global warming, as mosquitoes reproduce more quickly as temperatures increase.
It highlights that coastal cities in Africa are becoming more vulnerable to frequent seasonal flooding, which also increases the risk of vector-borne diseases, given that extreme weather events tend to recur in shorter cycles.
On the other hand, he warns, the spread of Anopheles Stephensi, a species of invasive mosquito that thrives in cities and can transmit the Malaria parasites Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, presents itself as a new threat.
The press release recalls that in the face of growing challenges, UNITAID is working on a new vector control tool that should reduce malaria by more than a quarter by 2030.
'Promising initiatives include new bed nets with different combinations of insecticides to combat mosquito resistance; space repellents that release chemicals into the air to prevent mosquitoes from biting humans within a given space; and treatment of humans and animals with drugs that kill the mosquitoes that bite them, among other strategies', cites the note.
UNITAID is an international initiative that promotes access to treatment for diseases such as AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in populations in developing countries.
It was founded in September 2006 on the initiative of Brazil and France, both being founding partners along with Chile and the United Kingdom, and is largely funded by an innovative funding mechanism.
Hosted by the WHO in Geneva, the organization's main objectives are to negotiate low prices for medicines. UNITAID does not have drug distribution as one of its program objectives, but supports programs of its sponsors such as the Clinton Foundation, the Global Fund or the WHO.
The joint statement is an initiative of Ambassador Margarida Izata, Permanent Representative of Angola to the Office of the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva, on behalf of the African Delegation to the Executive Board of UNITAID, and the Executive Director of the organization, Philippe Duneton.
