LONDON: The fight against malaria is slowing down amid a dramatic drop in efforts to reverse the epidemic, even as health officials insist they will try to meet their idealistic target of eliminating deaths from the parasitic illness by the end of 2015.
Malaria causes symptoms including fever, chills, and vomiting and can kill if not treated early. It mainly strikes children under 5, mostly in Africa.
In 2010, about 145 million bed nets were given out across Africa to protect people against the mosquitoes that spread the killer disease. Last year, that fell to about 66 million. The number of homes in Africa sprayed with pesticides has also stalled, as have attempts to treat pregnant women, one of the high-risk groups.
While the malaria death rate has fallen by a quarter since 2000, officials say further improvements are in jeopardy.
“We must act with urgency and determination to keep this tremendous progress from slipping out of our grasp,” Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO’s director-general, wrote in a report released Monday. WHO blamed falling donations and said the $2.3 billion invested in malaria programs in 2011 was less than half of what was needed.
The agency estimated there were about 219 million malaria cases and 660,000 deaths in 2010. But that was based on data from countries representing just 15 percent of cases worldwide. There was no solid information on countries with the biggest outbreaks, including the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria, which account for about 40 percent of global malaria deaths.
WHO acknowledged there was “a large degree of uncertainty” about its figures.
“There are a lot of blind spots in surveillance,” said Jorgen Stassijns, a malaria adviser at Doctors Without Borders who was not connected to the report. He thought efforts against malaria might be sluggish because of the financial crisis or donors prioritizing other health campaigns.
“In a lot of our work in the field, we don’t see malaria going down,” Stassijns said, citing clinics in Congo, Niger and Sierra Leone.
Some said the stalled progress wasn’t unexpected.
“A disease is always more difficult to control at lower levels,” said Richard Tren, director of the nonprofit Africa Fighting Malaria. He said past initiatives to reduce malaria rebounded after a few years and advised officials to use their funds more wisely. He said a $460 million program led by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria should have been scrapped since there was no proof the initiative — which flooded private markets with malaria drugs — actually worked to reduce cases since there were no controls on who got the medicines. The program, the Affordable Medicines Facility for malaria, was renewed by the Global Fund last month.
Tren doubted that officials would meet the 2015 target of “near-zero” malaria deaths. “I’m not sure it’s measureable or achievable,” he said.
WHO and partners already failed to meet a previous goal of cutting malaria incidence in half by 2010 and past attempts to eliminate malaria have flopped.
“I understand they want to set these targets for political reasons, but they are unrealistic and it undermines their credibility,” Tren said.
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Online: www.who.int/malaria/en
Malaria progress falters, WHO goals found unrealistic
Malaria progress falters, WHO goals found unrealistic
Where We Are Going Today: Zeila in Riyadh
- If you want an Instagrammable dish, check out the breakfast garden — multigrain sourdough topped with beetroot cream and a bed of avocados, edamame and peas, served with poached eggs and hollandaise sauce
As far as breakfast spots go, Riyadh’s main districts have some decent choices. But head east, and you will find a hidden gem in Al-Hamra you should not miss.
We recently discovered Zeila — somewhere that offers great food options without the wait times.
We started with the Croque Madame — a fried egg with hollandaise sauce atop toasted multigrain sourdough bread, served open-faced with smoked turkey, Emmental cheese, Dijon mustard cream and melted mozzarella. The well-balanced flavors come together smoothly without feeling too heavy for breakfast.
The shakshuka is another strong choice. This wholesome Zeila signature dish features confit bell peppers in olive oil, spicy cumin-tomato sauce, and comes topped with two poached eggs and coriander. It is served with multigrain sourdough.
If you want an Instagrammable dish, check out the breakfast garden — multigrain sourdough topped with beetroot cream and a bed of avocados, edamame and peas, served with poached eggs and hollandaise sauce.
On the heartier side, the mouthwatering selection of egg dishes includes a ribs Benedict, carbonara croissant, and a black truffle Benedict.
We couldn’t leave our sweet tooth hanging, so we opted for the Russian pancakes for a sweet, yet not overly so, ending to the meal.
But there are more innovative dishes, such as the Om Ali, which is prepared with freshly toasted croissant slices soaked in a mixture of milk and cream, complemented with a selection of nuts and locally made fresh cream. There is also a creme brulee crepe, or banoffee French toast made with salted caramel and grilled banana, served with vanilla ice cream.
The service was great, though the plastic utensils provided were disappointing.
However, Zeila’s interior is what really makes the trip worthwhile. The space, warm with natural light from the high glass walls, is spacious yet retains a comfortable ambience.
Adorned with hammock swing chairs, cozy leather couches, an outdoor seating area and luscious plants, it’s a great place to explore this winter whether you’re looking for a full meal or a cup of coffee while you do some work.
