Story

A King once had a slave who, in all circumstances said: “My King, do not be discouraged because everything God does is perfect, no mistakes…” One day, they went hunting and a wild animal attacked the King, the slave managed to kill the animal but couldn’t prevent his majesty losing a finger. Furious and without showing gratitude, the King said; “If God was good, I would not have been attacked and lost one finger!” The slave replied: “Despite all these things,I can only tell you that God is good and everything He does is perfect, He is never wrong!”

Outraged by the response, the King ordered the arrest of his slave. Later,he left for another hunt and was captured by savages who use human for sacrifice. In the altar, the savages found out that the king didn’t have one finger in place so he was released because he was considered not “complete” to be offered to the gods… On his return to the palace, he authorized the release of his slave saying; “My dear, God was really good to me! I was almost killed but for lack of a single finger I was let go! But I have a question: if God is so good, why did He allow me put you in jail?”

His reply: “My King, if I had gone with you, I would have been sacrificed for you because I have no missing finger.” Remember, everything God does is perfect, He is never wrong… Often we complain about life, and the negative things that happen to us, forgetting that nothing is random,and that everything has a purpose… There is a reason for your existence.

Someone might be in Love!

I just want to say that I hope you are having a lovely day and that you should smile more often because someone might be in love with your smile. cc: Futuristicretro

Key Facts About Malaria

Annual cases of malaria

Globally: 247 million
Africa: 212 million
Asia: 21 million
Middle East: 8.1 million
Americas: 2.7 million

Annual deaths from malaria

Globally: 881,000
Africa: 801,000
Middle East: 38,000
Asia: 36,000
Americas: 3,000

Figures on malaria deaths

91% of deaths were in Africa
85% of deaths were in children under 5 years of age
4% of deaths were in South-East Asia region (especially India)
4% of deaths were in Eastern Mediterranean region (especially Sudan)

Population at risk

3.3 billion (half of the world population)

Number of countries affected

109
(35 countries - 30 in Sub-Saharan Africa and 5 in Asia - account for 98 percent of global malaria deaths)

Top five countries for malaria numbers

Nigeria: 57,506,000
Democratic Republic of the Congo: 23,620,000
Ethiopia: 12,405,000
United Republic of Tanzania: 11,540,000
Kenya: 11,342,000

Top five countries for malaria deaths

Nigeria: 225,424
Democratic Republic of the Congo: 96,113
Uganda: 43,490
Ethiopia: 40,963
United Republic of Tanzania: 38,730 

Required health expenditure (Abuja declaration)

15% of national budget

Child mortality from malaria

85% of deaths in children under 5 years old

Economic cost

Direct: USD 12 billion per year in direct losses,
lost 1.3% of GDP growth per year for Africa.
For Nigeria alone the direct loss to the economy is estimated at GBP530 million

Burden

35.4 million Disability Adjusted Life Years (sub-Saharan Africa)

Cost per DALY averted

USD 2-24 (sub-Saharan Africa)

Cost of malaria

Around 40% of public health spending in sub-Saharan Africa
20-50% of inpatient admissions
Up to 50% of outpatient visits

Average household spending

Over 10% of yearly spending in Africa
Direct costs $0.41 in Malawi, $7.38 in Ghana

Financial need to tackle Malaria

2009: USD 5.335 billion
2010: USD 6.180 billion
2011-2020: USD 5.126 billion (average)

Annual funding

2007: USD 1.107 billion
Funding gap: USD 4,266 billion

Required investment in research (10 years)

USD 8.9 billion

Current level of coverage

Treatment: more than 100 million
Nets: 66.2 million
Diagnostics: 16 million rapid diagnostics tests delivered in 2006 among which 11 million in Africa

Required coverage by 2010

Protective nets: 730 million long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs). (350 million in Africa)
Indoor spraying with insecticide: 172 million households need annual spraying.
Preventive treatment for pregnant women: 25 million pregnant women annually.
Diagnostic tests: approximately 1.5 billion annually.
Drugs: 228 million doses of ACTs are needed to treat P. falciparum annually; additional 19 million doses of chloroquine and primaquine are needed annually for P.vivax.

Impact of full coverage

Up to an estimated 4.2 million lives could be saved by 2015 in the 20 highest burden African countries alone.

Malaria and humanitarian crises

Up to 30% of malaria deaths in Africa occur in the wake of war, local violence or natural disasters.

MDGs that could be impacted by addressing malaria problem

MDG 1 – Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger
MDG 2 – Achieve universal primary education
MDG 4 – Reduce child mortality
MDG 5 – Improve maternal health
MDG 6 – Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
MDG 8 – global partnerships for development and access to affordable drugs

Costs of interventions

Long-lasting insecticidal net: $10 (includes the net, distribution, teaching usage and monitoring usage)
Course of ACTs for adult: $6

Impact in tackling malaria

Eritrea, Rwanda, and Sao Tome and Principe reported declines in the number of cases and deaths of 50% or more between 2000 and 2006–2007 following high coverage of control activities. In addition, 22 countries outside of Africa reported declines of 50% or more in malaria cases and deaths between 2000 and 2006.

Source: Global Malaria Action Plan (2008)