In prelude to the World Malaria Day to be celebrated on April 25, an organisation known as “Malaria No More”, in partnership with the Ministry of Public Health, COTCO and the ExxonMobil Foundation, met at the Government Bilingual High School, Essoss in Yaounde to hold an inter-school competition on malaria yesterday April 22, 2015.
The Country Director of “Malaria No more”, Olivia Ngou, believes that the inter-school competition on the theme, “Invest In the Future: Defeat Malaria” will contribute to mobilise and involve youths in the fight against the illness.
In an interactive manner, students were sensitised on the modes of transmission, prevention and treatment of malaria. “Malaria No More” team members say the inter-school competition was an occasion to test students’ knowledge on malaria.
The event began with a question and answer session on malaria. Thereafter, students had the opportunity to present poems on malaria. The event was graced by a dancing competition on the song “K.O. PALU.”
As students danced and enjoyed themselves in different activities, the “Malaria No More” team stressed their determination to end malaria deaths by helping the world overcome it through engaging leaders, rallying the public and delivering life-saving tools and education to families across Cameroon and Africa.
Latest estimates released in December 2014 by the World Health Organisation (WHO), indicates that there were about 198 million cases of malaria in 2013 (with an uncertainty range of 124 million to 283 million) and an estimated 584,000 deaths (with an uncertainty range of 367 000 to 755 000).
Malaria mortality rates have fallen by 47 per cent globally since 2000 and by 54 per cent in the WHO African Region. On April 25, people across the globe will take part in a wide range of activities to mark World Malaria Day with the focus on keeping up the fight against the killer disease.
