Watch Ted Turner respond to Ashton Kutcher!
Submitted by Shannon Raybold on April 22, 2009Click here for more information on the Twitter challenge!
 |
|||||
|
Buzzkill Facts
Each year, malaria afflicts approximately a half-billion people (roughly the population of the United States, Canada, and Mexico combined).
- Malaria kills more than a million people per year; 90 percent of those who die are African children.
- Every 30 seconds in Africa a child dies of malaria.
- Malaria incapacitates people, keeping countries poor. In addition to the health burden, malaria illness and death cost Africa about $12 billion per year.
Comments
Global malaria initiatives should include better water and sewage drainage management and better gabage collection systems-improvement of these systems reduces mosquito larva habitat.
Created by Devin Baker on 12 May 09 05:32 PM CDT
I believe that global initiatives should include advising malaria plagued nations with their governments and citizens about how to improve their water drainage, sewage and garbage collection systems. Much of the malaria plagues in these affected nations are surely caused by water/rainful runoff and the formation of stagnant pools of water which breeds mosquitos. Also a factor is that many of these countries have poor garbage collection systems and discarded cans, bottle and other containers sit in the streets collecting water.....these stagnant water pools caused by poorly managed drainage systems and discarded cans, bottles etc. from poor garbage collection are prime habitat for mosquitos eggs and their larva which hatch, live and grow in stagnant water. I believe that the issues of water drainage management and garbage collection management are not adequetly addressed with many of the anti-malaria initiatives which are now going on and too much emphasis is placed on anti-malaria drugs and mosquito netting which is only a part of the solution. Countries with malaria epidemics are almost always tropical countries with heavy rainfall and poor government planning concerning dealing with the drainage from this heavy tropical rainful and the stagnant water collection which results. This is especially so in urban areas where natural water drainage has been significantly altered by cement, roadways and buildings etc. which prevents the rainfall's quick drainage back into rivers etc. Any profiteering on the misfortune of the poor and ill with pharmaceuticals to the exclusion of, or the willfull exclusion of.....other solutions, will surely be an offense to what's good and right. Let's not exclude solutions to reduce malaria which are in addition to pharmaceutical controls, especially if it's for the purpose of pharmaceutical profiteering.....surely this will lead to more death and suffering and further drug resistant malaria strains.
Malaria and nets
Created by Stephanie on 23 Apr 09 03:38 PM CDT
Great job, keep it up!
Go Ted
Created by Savanna on 23 Apr 09 09:21 AM CDT
Way to rock it Ted Turner - who knew you were onto the twitter bandwagon?!