All Afrika Expedition against malaria kicks off

Accra, Oct. 28, GNA - An expedition to create awareness about malaria and encourage people to use insecticide treated nets to fight the disease in six countries in West and Central Africa, was launched in Accra on Thursday.

Dubbed the "All Afrika Expedition", Author and Humanitarian, Kingsley Holgate will undertake journeys to Ghana, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Central African Republic and Equatorial Guinea educating people and creating awareness about malaria.

It is the second expedition that Holgate is undertaking under the banner of United Against Malaria, a partnership of football teams, corporations, celebrities among others.

It is estimated that every 30 seconds, a child in Africa dies from Malaria, while 91 per cent of malaria deaths occur in Africa. Experts say insecticide treated nets could help counter the resistance built by the parasitic insects.

Holgate's 2010 United against Malaria Expedition will distribute 10,000 mosquito nets and deliver malaria prevention education to about one million people across 12 African countries.

The first stop of the expedition will be in Obuasi, where Holgates and Anglogold Ashanti, a mining company will host a soccer game, arts competition and distribution of mosquito nets in the local communities. The team will then head North through Brong Ahafo Region to Northern and Upper West and continue to Burkina Faso. "On the journey the team will explore and raise awareness about malaria prevention and treatment and distribute mosquito nets to those in need," Holgate said.

The initiative has the full backing of United against Malaria, an umbrella partnership of various interested parties, which advocates the eradication of malaria as part of the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Among other issues, the MDGs aims to minimise HIV/AIDS and malaria, reduce the number of child mortalities and eradicate hunger and poverty. The launch in Ghana was supported by corporate entities like LandRover, AngloGold Ashanti, Standard Bank, MTN, John Hopkins University, the Global Fund and Vestergaard-Frandsen. 28 Oct. 10