Marking World Mosquito Day today, South Swindon MP has joined the campaign to make malaria no more within a generation.
Malaria has claimed more lives than any other disease in human history. Today it claims the life of a child every minute, despite being preventable and costing less than a cup of tea to treat. It is also a major cause of poverty in Africa, costing an estimated £12 billion a year in lost productivity.
Defeating malaria is a huge task which will take serious commitment and today sees MPs from all parties coming together to raise awareness about their personal commitment to the cause and to rally support on social media for Malaria No More UK’s #malariatodolist campaign.
The malaria to-do list brings to life the key actions needed to defeat malaria over the next 15 years, including the need for doubling of current funding; cutting edge research; inspiring global leadership and improving access to life-saving medicines. Each to-do is illustrated with an engaging illustration, and is sharable on social media. Malaria No More UK also gives ideas for people in [constituency] to get involved and help save lives.
It was 118 years ago today that British Doctor, Sir Ronald Ross first discovered that female mosquitoes transmit malaria. Exceptional progress has followed - in the past 15 years alone global efforts have halved the rate of people dying from malaria. The next 15 years offer an unprecedented opportunity to reach near zero deaths if local and global support is maintained.
Robert said:
“I’ve got some very important things to do this summer, from dealing with local residents’ casework to preparing for the new parliamentary term. But World Mosquito Day reminds us that there is one more important thing on our to-do list: making malaria no more. No one, anywhere should die from a mosquito bite. With the right levels of funding, political leadership and continued commitment, the UK can play a leading role in ending malaria deaths by 2030.
“Thanks to the huge progress of the last 15 years, 6.2million lives have been saved. But it’s still all to play for – without continued public, political and financial support we could see this progress reversed. That’s why I’m adding ‘make malaria no more’ to my to-do list today. Let’s get the job done.”