[afro-nets] Africa fooled on Mosquito/Malaria Control? (10)

Africa fooled on Mosquito/Malaria Control? (10)
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- Immediate Action Recommended

Dear Prof. Kishimba and all,

Thanks a lot for the message. I'm writing the concept paper on
rethinking for malaria control in Africa. While looking for more
supporting evidences to put in the concept paper, have discov-
ered that, there is also on-going petition to pressurise WHO and
US to support effective malaria interventions in Africa. Kindly
read the message below and if interested to join efforts, please
sign the petition.

Kill Malarial Mosquitoes Now

Many developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America face
a terrible health and human rights crisis: 500 million of their
people get malaria every year, and over 1 million die.

A principal reason is that far too many global health organiza-
tions refuse to fund or even permit the use of pesticides, espe-
cially DDT.

Kill Malarial Mosquitoes NOW! is a global campaign to change
this horrendous situation. If you want to make a real difference
in the world, please read the Declaration and endorse this bi-
partisan effort by people of conscience from every colour, re-
ligion and political affiliation. You would join a co-founder of
Greenpeace the national chairman of the Congress of Racial
Equality physicians and scientists, including disease experts
from Harvard, France, Africa, Thailand and the United States ad-
mirals and general relief organization workers rabbis, priests,
pastors and evangelical leaders business and political leaders
public policy experts and many other concerned citizens from all
over the world.

Our goal is to convince the United States Congress, USAID, World
Health Organization and other agencies that they must implement
malaria control programs that work. That means they must include
DDT and other insecticides, along with Artemisia-based combina-
tion therapies (ACTs). Otherwise, millions will continue to die
needlessly, year after year.

Specifically, we want the United States Congress to dedicate
two-thirds of future malaria spending to these insecticides and
modern ACT drugs that actually cure malaria.

Some may say this figure is too high. However, over the past
decade, the USAID and other government agencies have spent hun-
dreds of millions of dollars on capacity building and technical
assistance. On talk. (In fact, the U.S. Agency for International
Development will receive $105 million in 2006 for malaria con-
trol but we expect them to spend about $0 on DDT. In 2004, it
had a budget of $80 million, but spent just $4 million on bed
nets, nothing on insecticides, a tiny amount on medicines, and
over $60 million on conferences and consultants, and most of
this was spent in the United States!)

They have spent virtually nothing on DDT, ACT drugs and other
interventions that actually reduce malaria and save lives. The
burden of proof is on our critics, to demonstrate why a differ-
ent percentage is appropriate and necessary.

Please read the Declaration and help lead the way to moral, hu-
manitarian, life-saving policies, by joining our coalition to
Kill Malarial Mosquitoes NOW!

If you stand with us, please email your consent, title, affilia-
tion and state or country of residence to:
mailto:pdriessen@cox.net

Please also consider recruiting other signatories whose support
may help us attain our goal of stopping the unnecessary and un-
conscionable deaths of countless innocent children and parents
in Africa and throughout the developing world.

Millions of people will be alive to thank you.

Download the "Kill Malarial Mosquitoes Now!" declaration as
Adobe PDF file (17 pp. 88 kB) at:
http://www.fightingmalaria.org/pdfs/KMMN_Decl&End_Oct05.pdf

--
Hamisi Masanja Malebo,
Research Scientist (Medicinal & Bio-Organic Chemistry)
National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR)
P.O. Box 9653, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Mobile: +255-744-383-143
Fax: +255-22-212-1360/380
mailto:Malebo@hotmail.com
mailto:hmalebo@nimr.or.tz

Africa fooled on Mosquito/Malaria Control? (11)
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Dear all,

From an article on the AFB Web Site: Dr. Roger Bate is a visit-
ing fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a director
of health-advocacy group, Africa Fighting Malaria.

A supporter of George Bush & extreme free-marketers, Dr Bate
strongly supported the US Secretary of Health (a conservative
Republican lawyer) in his quest to dismantle WHO. Dr Bate feels
improving health has nothing to do with reducing poverty!

Dr Bates writes: "The now-infamous report of the WHO Commission
on Macroeconomics and Health advocates health investment as a
‘means to achieving other development goals relating to poverty
reduction’. Essentially, the WHO is saying that countries, owing
to disease, are too poor to grow. Although at first sight this
seems a common-sense argument, it is obviously false, as no
country in history could have ever developed!"
http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/bate200404190820.asp
(NB: the national review is the voice of conservative US poli-
tics)

This is the familiar neo-con argument: Africans cause their own
poverty by not embracing the free market. Poor health does not
cause poverty; lack of clean water and lack of access to sanita-
tion do not count either. Nope, all problems would be solved by
ending Africa’s import tariffs and allowing unfettered access to
Northern companies. (Just please do not ask the US & EU to re-
duce their import tariffs on agricultural subsidies first...)
And, no matter what else, squash any mention of providing ‘free’
essential medicines. I mean, what profit would you make then?

Dr Bate & AFM deliberately mislead. E.g. they say “WHO will not
adopt insecticide spraying”. Such dishonesty is a bit ludicrous,
when WHO calls indoor residual spraying (IRS) one of the “pil-
lars” of its effort to eliminate malaria, along with universal
access to effective meds and bednets. WHO is staffed by many Af-
rican researchers; but Dr Bates seems to imply that they care
less about Africa’s health issues than Northern politicians such
as himself and President Bush. Ah, the white man’s burden weighs
heavily on neo-conservatives.

DDT may very well have a good role to play in controlling mos-
quitoes and malaria, which is why WHO and other malaria control
partners have issued guidelines on DDT use, to help policy-
makers make locally-appropriate decisions on its use. But ma-
laria will not be controlled by one intervention. It will take
many approaches (Indoor spraying with insecticides ­ DDT when
local governments agree - bednets and effective medicines). It
will take large and prolonged investments in public health and
preventative health: a lot of grants, not loans, Dr Bate, and
the money coming largely, at first, from wealthier countries.
And it will take WHO and other partners to do more as well. An-
swers (plural) exist, and it is time to seize the opportunities
of new global funds to effectively eliminate malaria from the
face of the earth.

You may wish to consider the above before signing up to AFM's
petition.

Kind regards,

Tom O’Connell, RN, MBA
mailto:tsoconnell2@yahoo.com

NB: I do not, in any way, speak for WHO or RBM. I worked with
WHO for several years, as well with UNICEF and the World Bank.

Africa fooled on Mosquito/Malaria Control? (14)
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Cmon Tom, why don't you tell us what you really mean? I am only
going to address a couple of points. I wish people like you
would be honest enough to admit that you have a political axe to
grind. "A conservative Republican lawyer" sounds like maybe it's
a term like pig dung on your shoe. And really your term "neo-
con" sounds like maybe your getting ready to convene court at
the Hague or something.

I must say it wouldn't hurt my feelings if the WHO closed shop
tomorrow. I know how they operate and I'm not impressed.

As for the meat of your posting, wow I don't know where to
start. It is not difficult to tell where your politics lie but I
will tender a response. It has been my observation that a lot of
poverty comes from crooked government employees who have large
budgets,(a result of the mean nasty USA or EU) and skipping town
with it or spending it on things that do not help the citizenry.
I'm not saying this is always true, however I am saying that
your premise that "no country in history could have developed"
is flawed. America was once a poor country and because the envi-
ronment was friendly for people to prosper they did, and thru
hard work and conservative values like God and Country my fore
fathers built a great nation that is always trying to help and
always gets dumped on by people like you who hate America and
what it stands for.

I don't mind if you want to use this forum for intelligent and
legitimate reasons like trying to help a serious health problem
like malaria, however, when you use this forum to pound home
your politics then don't be surprised if I take exception to it.

OK
Craig Audiss
mailto:cybrcollectinc@yahoo.com

Africa fooled on Mosquito/Malaria Control? (17)
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Craig,

Please do re-read my e-mail carefully. The quote you reacted to
so strongly was from Dr Bate, (which is why it has "quote marks"
around it and a reference)!! Dr Bate wrote the absurd remark
about poor health not being a cause of poverty and not being im-
portant to development!

It is interesting you found this remark, made by Dr Bate, so un-
believable. I quoted him to show what kind of thinking was be-
hind his organization, "Africa Fighting Malaria". Dr Bate and
many neo-conservatives openly state their belief that poverty is
caused ONLY by a lack of liberalizing African trade and access
to markets, without acknowledging the equally important role of
poor health, inadequate infrastructures, under-education and
other difficult issues. This is why I quoted Dr Bate, to bring
out his political bias. This is based on a neo-classical model
of economics, that many neo-conservatives believe in (and neo-
conservatives refer to themselves as "neo-cons", just like lib-
eral democrats call themselves "liberals". You know this, so
stop trying to twist intentions and words.) Many reputable
economists believe in other alternatives, and this forum helps
bring out different views for debate.

Malaria elimination requires large resources provided by donors
to supplement private sector actions: the market will not pro-
vide the only solution. Insecticides, nets and medicines will
cost more than governments can afford, and large donor grants
will be needed to eliminate malaria today. So Dr Bate's view,
that the private market is the SOLE answer for providing needed
anti-malarial commodities, deserves to be examined.

Most experts will tell you that the scope of the malaria problem
requires a huge injection of donor funds and significant public
sector involvement for the short to medium term, if malaria is
to be eliminated in Africa. If you choose not to believe the re-
search of experts at the USA's own CDC (Center for Disease Con-
trol), let alone WHO and WHO's African Regional Office, that is
your choice. But the CDC certainly recommends the RBM strategy.

Again, criticism is fine and useful if accurate, but please take
the time to read e-mails carefully. And allow that different
views exist, and try not to insult or disparage people just be-
cause they do not agree with you.

Tom Oconnell
mailto:tsoconnell2@yahoo.com

Africa fooled on Mosquito/Malaria Control? (18)
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Tom, let me tell you something you are wasting your time trying
to bring out some people from the dark ages... some people just
like to hear themselves rant and so they do it here. And I have
noted a sad trend in Craig's communications, I am sorry to say.

Reminds me so much of Hitler and all those Apartheid fellows who
believed that theirs was the only way and if others did not
agree - too bad for them. Such attitudes which can not make any
logical arguments but seek to reduce others are not worthy of
listening to or even speaking.

Isaac Kigozi
mailto:kigoziisaac76@yahoo.co.uk

Africa fooled on Mosquito/Malaria Control? (19)
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Isaac,

I suggest that you go back and digest my comments sparky. My ob-
jection was the tone of some that use this forum as a sounding
board to bash America. You compare me to Hitler? Let me
enlighten you a little buddy. I have relatives that died in
Europe and the Pacific theatre in WW 2 stamping out that
scourge. Then you step forward with a comment like that.

I unlike others that write in this forum genuinely care about
the people of Africa, and would like to help in any way that I
can. I try to write about the injustices that I have observed
and the theft of money and food that was meant for the poor. Un-
fortunately I hear a lot of things like solving Malaria with
bed-nets and I know that is a formula for nothing to change. In-
teresting that you should use the term Dark Ages when many are
still talking like they are still there. People like you can sit
back and say well we did something and then feel good about
yourselves. Good luck.

The U S has lots of money for Africa but do you get off your
duff to try to procure some of it to solve this terrible sick-
ness? No, you are content to write in this forum about meaning-
less B S and accuse me of being like Hitler.

The reason that I started reading this forum is because I lived
in Africa and care what happens to those people. To repeat my-
self "LEAVE THE POLITICS AND THE AGENDA'S AT THE GATE." These
will not solve Africa's problems and you know it. I believe that
I have clarified my position adequately for most people to un-
derstand.

Craig Audiss
mailto:cybrcollectinc@yahoo.com

[From the Moderator: I suggest to avoid any further personal flaming
and come back to the essentials of this discussion, otherwise I
feel inclined to omit messages of this type in the future. D.N. Mod.]