CONTACT FOR MEDIA

CONTACT FOR MEDIA

PRESS RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE

OFFICIAL STATEMENT

OFFICIAL STATEMENT

 

World malaria day

Your Excellencies, Minister of Health and Public Hygiene
and Chairman of the General Council,
Ladies and Gentlemen from the United Nations System Agencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen who represent national and international institutions and NGOs,
Distinguished Wardens of the Tradition,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure today join you in the beautiful town of Agou to celebrate World Malaria Day in Côte d’Ivoire.

This special day is being celebrated in the entire world, because unfortunately malaria continues to be endemic in 107 countries and territories around the globe. Thus the choice of this year’s motto, “a disease without borders”.
In Côte d’Ivoire, malaria remains one of the prime causes of mortality among children and the biggest cause for medical consultation and hospitalization of Ivorians. Approximately 3.5 million children under the age of 5 and 1 million pregnant women are exposed to malaria.
 Every hour, about 7 children die from malaria.

Considering this alarming situation, Ms Ann M. Veneman, Director general of UNICEF, has declared, I quote: “We cannot accept that malaria kills more than 1 million people every year, among them a majority of children, knowing that this is a disease we can prevent, cure and fight against with mosquito nets and other methods, whose efficiency has been proven in integrated community programs.”

Several actions have been implemented, in particular major malaria sensitization campaigns and significant resource mobilization from the Government of Japan, the World Bank, UNICEF, the Global Fund for the Fight against HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria, as well as from numerous other donors.
In spite of these efforts, which many of us here today have produced, we are forced to admit that malaria remains the principal cause of mortality and morbidity in sub-Saharan Africa and in this case, in Côte d’Ivoire.

However, some progress has been achieved both in Côte d’Ivoire and in the rest of the world.

On the therapeutical level, since 2003, most African countries have adopted artemisinin- or ACT-based polytherapies, which the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends for their efficiency.

At the prevention level, use of impregnated mosquito nets has tripled since the year 2000, according to available trend data from 16 of 20 African countries. We know with certainty that the use of impregnated mosquito nets is the most efficient method in malaria prevention.

In 2007, UNICEF, who is the biggest global buyer and distributor of impregnated mosquito nets, distributed 18.8 million nets worldwide, more than 90% of which were impregnated with long-lasting insecticide.
The mosquito nets were distributed to pregnant women and young children within the framework of integrated programs including prenatal care and vaccination.
The use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets by children in areas where the malaria endemic is stable, results in:

•  A reduction of 50% of malaria episodes without complications.
• A reduction of 45% of severe malaria episodes.
• A reduction of anemia in children (on average the hemoglobin level climbs to 0.76 g/dl).
• A reduction of 30% of splenomegaly cases.
• A reduction of 13% of parasitemia prevalence.

In Côte d’Ivoire, within the framework of the fight against this plague in children aged under 5 and pregnant women, UNICEF has not only introduced the use of long-lasting impregnated mosquito nets, it is also the product’s largest distributor.
Our Organization has provided the following quantities to the Ministry of Health:

• From 2006 to 2007, 661,200 long-lasting impregnated mosquito nets.
• In the current year of 2008, 194,386 impregnated mosquito nets and 2,859,500 tablets of sulfadoxin + pyrimethamin.
• In the coming year of 2009, 192,010 impregnated mosquito nets and 5,798,121 tablets of sulfadoxin + pyrimethamin will be distributed to the population.

These efforts have been made possible by the Government of Japan, to whom I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks for working together with UNICEF in its constantly renewed support of Côte d’Ivoire.

Your Excellency, Minister of Health and Public Hygiene, I will close by assuring you that UNICEF will always be by your side in the fight against this endemic disease and will always support the Ivorian Government whenever and wherever women and children are concerned.