Newsbites
BMJ 2008; 336 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/sbmj.0806223 (Published 01 June 2008) Cite this as: BMJ 2008;336:0806223
Africa
UN launches malaria campaign
The United Nations' secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, has called for access to basic measures to control malaria for all of Africa by the end of 2010. Launching the campaign on 25 April, world malaria day, he said that the world's most affected nations would not meet the millennium development goal of halting and reversing the growth in incidence of the disease.
The World Health Organization estimates that malaria kills 1.3 million people a year, mostly children under the age of 5.
Mr Ban and his special envoy for malaria, Ray Chambers, said that they wanted the entire population of Africa to have mosquito nets and insecticide sprays by 2011, along with sufficient malaria clinics and preventive treatment centres for pregnant women (http://africa.reuters.com, 25 Apr, “UN urges world to help Africa fight malaria”).
Indonesia
Practising for bird flu
Indonesia has conducted a drill, which involved 5000 people, to test its readiness for bird flu. The government, police, and health workers fought off protests from villagers and tourists as they barricaded homes, shut schools, and quarantined travellers
After more than four years of fears about pandemic influenza, the avian flu virus remains hard for people to catch, but scientists worry that it could mutate into a form that spreads easily between humans. Such a pandemic could kill millions of people.
As the country …
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