AMMREN/INESS issue joint communique

At the end of a three-day Media sensitisation workshop on the Indepth Effectiveness and Safety Studies on Anti-malarial in Africa, known as INESS project by the African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN), journalists mainly from ten African countries have issued a joint communique.

The resolutions and conclusions highlighted, among others, declarations by African leaders in 2000 when they met in Abuja, Nigeria. African leaders in that meeting declared that 60% of children under five years and pregnant women will sleep under Insecticide treated nets.

They also declared that 25% of childhood fevers will be correctly managed by using IMCI, and the narrower and progressively tougher Abuja targets by 2010, reduce malaria morbidity by half of the 2000 levels and reduce malaria mortality by 50 percent of the 2000 levels.

However, the communique observed that ten years on, these targets have not been met, but noted that with concerted efforts from all the stakeholders, scientists, journalists, governments and Non-Governmental Organisations, malaria will become a disease of the past.

It also applauded the efforts being made by Indepth Network, Indepth Effectiveness and Safety Studies of Anti-malarials in Africa (INESS) and Malaria Clinical Trials Alliance (MCTA) for setting up various investigative sites in Africa to fight against malaria.

The communique therefore urged African governments to strengthen their policies on eradication of malaria, through the mass distribution of Insecticide Treated Nets and to scale up free prescription of anti-malaria to children under five years and pregnant women.

It also commended researchers and scientists for their good work in the fight against malaria, urging them to work harder towards eradicating the epidemic.

It also urged journalists across the board to continue to work in collaboration with researchers and scientists to tell the malaria story and the progress being made to eradicate the killer-disease.