Malaria cases on the rise in SA, NICD warns
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has appealed to healthcare professionals to have a high degree of suspicion of malaria when...
Vitality announces Goodbye Malaria partnership today, World Malaria Day
Healthy living insurer, Vitality Health International, has announced a partnership with social benefit organisation, Goodbye Malaria, to reduce the high incidence of malaria which is still taking an unrelenting toll on human health in Africa.
Staff Writer
Apr 25, 2023
Issued for release today, World Malaria Day (April 25), the partnership announcement underpins this year’s World Malaria Day theme: time to deliver zero malaria: invest, innovate, and implement – with a key focus on how the strengths of Vitality Health International can be leveraged to deliver zero malaria
“Malaria remains the most prevalent disease in Africa with a major impact on the lives and livelihoods of the most vulnerable with $12 billion lost in productivity every year,” said Emma Knox, CEO of Vitality Health International: Africa.
“Vitality Health International’s health insurance offering is aimed at positively impacting people’s health outcomes while improving and protecting their lives. By partnering with Goodbye Malaria, we are taking a significant step towards achieving this goal. We believe that by working together, we can reduce the negative impact of malaria and save many lives on the continent.”
According to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) data, 2022 saw nearly a quarter of a billion cases of malaria worldwide with four African countries, namely Nigeria (26.6%), the Democratic Republic of Congo (12.3%), Uganda (5.1%) and Mozambique (4.1%), accounting for nearly half of all malaria cases globally.
Focusing on Africa, the partnership will have a strategic objective in the fight against malaria, with the aim to potentially eradicate this deadly, yet preventable disease in years to come.
In his comment on the partnership, Sherwin Charles, the co-founder and CEO of Goodbye Malaria, noted: “Over the past 10 years, Goodbye Malaria has made a significant impact in efforts to bring an end to this devastating disease. In partnership with Vitality Health International, we can further amplify our efforts, reach more people in need and together, accelerate us in getting to zero. Making malaria part of our history, once and for all.”
Emerging biological risks threaten to reduce the effectiveness of existing tools. Maintaining malaria programmes, scaling up the latest innovations and reaching everyone living at risk are the main objectives of this partnership.
SOURCE: African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Goodbye Malaria