Photo: AFP Photo: A mother and her child sit on a bed covered with a mosquito net in Africa, 30 Oct 2009
Nicknamed the "White Man's Grave" in the nineteenth century by British colonials because of the high death rates from malaria, Sierra Leone has a long history with the mosquito-borne disease.
Today malaria is still the country's biggest health concern. It is the leading cause of death and disease and your average Sierra Leonean is likely to suffer three to four bouts of the debilitating disease a year.
Now the country aims to reduce malaria cases by up to 40 percent thanks to a campaign that will see every household in the country receive insecticide-treated mosquito nets.
Read full story here --> http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Sierra-Leone-Launches-Nationwide-Malaria-Campaign-110642604.html
This is a really good initiative and I pray that it succeeds.
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"A few weeks after distribution, a "Hang Up" campaign will encourage people to literally hang up their new nets over their beds. Health volunteers will again go house to house. But this time with a hammer and nail, to make sure nets are hung properly."
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I really love this bit. If we adopt the same commitment towards helping people to clean their environs, we could achieve complete eradication of this killer. What do you think?