A new campaign film featuring Nigerian Afro-beats star Yemi Alade, other celebrities, a mozzie and a call to beat the world’s oldest and deadliest disease, “malaria” was launched on Wednesday.
The new campaign film tagged: “Malaria Must Die, So Millions Can Live” also featured tennis player Andy Murray and boxer David Haye swatting away a persistent mosquito.
The short movie is a call on global leaders for bold political action to end the world’s oldest and deadliest disease. The video ended with the powerful message that whilst mosquitos may be irritating for many of us, a mosquito bite takes the life of a child every two minutes.
The new video, Mozzie Bites is part of a continued campaign call for leaders to “unite and fight” malaria ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting being hosted in London, April 2018.
People living in Commonwealth countries are disproportionately affected by the disease and leaders are being urged to make new life-saving commitments to beat it.
Yemi Alade, who has suffered from malaria many times and a supporter of Malaria No More, said,
“Malaria has a devastating, disproportionate impact in my home country, Nigeria where almost a third of all deaths from malaria take place. I’ve suffered myself from the disease many times. We can change this, there are simple ways to prevent, test and treat malaria and they work.
“Now, we need malaria-affected countries, like Nigeria, to step up and make new commitments to protect our people, and to change the course of history.”
However, over 7 million lives have been saved since 2000 and deaths from the disease has dramatically cut by over 60%. But half the world’s population are still at risk and malaria tragically claims 445,000 lives a year – over half of these deaths in Commonwealth countries.
The Executive Director of Malaria No More UK, the NGO convening the campaign on behalf of the global malaria community, James Whiting said,
“Despite best efforts to end malaria and huge progress in recent years we are at a risk of losing hard won gains due to plateauing funding, growing resistance and declining political will. But there’s a chance in three weeks for leaders to use a rejuvenated Commonwealth to put the world on a faster path towards a malaria-free world.”
The Malaria Must Die campaign is building public pressure ahead of the Malaria Summit London 2018 on 18th April which will see Heads of State, philanthropists and the private sector make a series of pledges to accelerate progress and call on leaders meeting the next day at the formal CHOGM to be ready to beat this disease.
Watch video below:
