EUROPE/SPAIN - Award bestowed on four organizations leading the fight against malaria in Africa

Oviedo (Agenzia Fides) - The organizations leading the fight against malaria in Africa: the Ifakara Health Research and Development Centre (Tanzania), the Malaria Research and Training Centre (Mali), the Kintampo Health Research Centre (Ghana) and the Manhiça Centre of Health Research (Mozambique) –directed by the Spanish researchers, Pedro Alonso and Clara Menéndez– have been bestowed with the 2008 Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation. These organizations, internationally renowned as leaders in the fight against malaria in Africa, stand out for their advances in the search for a vaccine against this disease, as well as for their training programs for professionals in this field. Their contribution to improvements in medical care in the countries in which they are to be found have meant that the terrible consequences of this illness –which provokes the death of more than a million people each year, especially children, all over the world– can be lessened.
Malaria represents a threat to almost 40% of the world’s population. The majority of cases and deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa, where one child under 5 years of age dies every 30 seconds. As a result of the first World Malaria Day, held on 25th April 2008, UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, announced the launching of new drive to reinforce the goal of eradicating the disease from the African continent by the end of 2010. Among the tools to achieve this goal, he emphasized the importance of training medical staff in affected countries and encouraging research.
Among others, the strategic goals of the four award-winning institutions include biomedical research, the training of local personnel, medical care and institutional backing as tools to put an end to the relation between disease and poverty, thus contributing to the development of national and international public health. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 4/6/2008)