Note for the Press No 10
30 August 2000

SUPPORT ROLL BACK MALARIA

Tanzanian Olympic team captains Restituta Joseph and Fokasi Wilbroad Fullah are the first athletes to sign-up to an Africa-wide campaign to raise awareness about malaria. Restituta survived several childhood bouts of malaria.

African Olympic athletes are being encouraged to pledge their support for the global Roll Back Malaria (RBM) movement in a campaign that highlights how best to treat and prevent the disease. Many of the medal hopefuls, like Restituta, have been ill with malaria in the past.

In addition to the Tanzanian captains, almost the entire Ugandan team has also agreed to sign up to RBM and lend their voice to the initiative's messages.

The latest RBM ambassadors are currently in the final stages of training for the Sydney Olympics which start on 15 September. All Olympic committees throughout Africa have been approached to be involved in the campaign.

RBM project manager a.i., Dr Awash Teklehaimanot, said: "The Olympics present the opportunity for one of the year's biggest global media audiences. National heroes and heroines are created and the power of their opinions should not be underestimated.

"Encouraging words from famous athletes have the power to convince hundreds of thousands of the benefits of mosquito nets and prompt treatment for malaria illness."

"Many African athletes have had their own battles with malaria. We hope they will help us in our work to encourage a broader understanding of the disease so that people in Africa are better equipped to fight malaria.

"With its goal to halve the malaria burden in Africa by 2010, Roll Back Malaria knows all about difficult challenges. We offer our best wishes to the African athletes in their own personal challenges in Sydney."

In the last Olympics in Atlanta Africa had its best games to date, winning a total of 34 medals. Kenya won eight medals, Nigeria won six, South Africa five, Algeria and Ethiopia both won three medals, Namibia and Morocco both won two and Burundi, Zambia, Mozambique, Tunisia and Uganda won a medal each.

The Tanzanian team has just left for Sydney following training at Moshi in the Kilimanjaro region of northern Tanzania with former 5,000m Olympic gold medallist Suleiman Nyambui.

The athletes have signed up to give out the following messages for RBM:

• More than 500 million people a year become ill from malaria

• More than one million people, mainly children, die from malaria

• Malaria prevents people from earning a living, going to school (or taking part in other important activities.)

• Malaria mainly affects poor people but in areas where malaria is endemic it is a disease that strikes all people regardless of lifestyle

• Malaria can be prevented – e.g. by using insecticide treated mosquito nets in the home
• Malaria can be treated – early diagnosis and correct therapy are vital

• The RBM movement will halve malaria deaths by the year 2010

• Individuals can join the RBM movement through the website or by letter or fax to the World Health Organization.

More athletes from Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana and Senegal are expected to sign up to the RBM campaign in the coming weeks.

Malaria has a dramatic impact on the wellbeing of Africa's people and on Africa's economic growth. This year a commitment by African heads of state to halve the malaria mortality of Africa's people by 2010 has set the scene for a massive effort to reduce the impact of the disease. They have resolved that at least 60% of the people suffering from malaria should benefit from prompt access to curative treatment within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms. 60% of those at risk from malaria should benefit from preventive measures such as insecticide-treated mosquito netting. 60% of pregnant women at risk of malaria should have access to anti-malaria care, especially during their pregnancies.

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For further information: On athletes participation in the campaign: Edwina Schrade, Kim Hudson or Carrie-Ann Hulme at Arcay Corporate Communications in South Africa: Tel (+27 11) 480 8575; On Roll Back Malaria: Andy Seale, Public Information Officer, World Health Organization, Geneva, Tel (+41 22) 791 3670; email: sealea@who.int. All WHO Press Releases, Fact Sheets and Notes for the Press can be found on http://www.who.int/inf. More information on Roll Back Malaria can be found on the RBM website: www.rbm.who.int