Total Gambia Limited, together with other Total affiliates worldwide over the weekend commemorated World Malaria Day, at the Alliance Franco Gambienne.
The celebration was part of Total's effort to eradicate malaria.
Speaking at the celebrations, Mr. Jones Aye, the Managing Director of Total Gambia limited disclosed that more than two million people die each year from malaria. The statistics, he stated, is very alarming with a child dying every thirty seconds from malaria. According to Mr. Jones, the day has been set aside to raise awareness about the scourge.
He pointed out that Total Gambia is also collaborating with Peace Corp Volunteers in The Gambia, by assisting them with logistical support in the distribution of bed nets in Jah Kunda, Upper River Region. Jones noted that Total Gambia is an active partner of the National Malaria Control Programme in its quest to control and eradicates malaria.
For his part, Bala Kundeh, a Senior Programme Officer at the National Malaria Control Programme said that April 25th is a day of unified commemoration of the global efforts to provide effective control of malaria around the world.
He noted that World Malaria Day marks a critical moment in time as the international malaria community has less than a year to meet the 2010 target of delivering effective and affordable protection, and treatment of all people at risk of malaria. He added that malaria is a deadly borne mosquito-disease, which snuffs out millions of lives annually.
He further said that children particularly those in
Kandeh pointed out that worldwide estimates revealed that over 300- 900 million cases of malaria are contracted every year, resulting in up to 2.5 million deaths, mostly among the very young in
"WHO estimates that 3000 people die of malaria every day, one in every seconds," he said, adding that malaria kills an African child every day.
