The black flies are out in force these days, thanks to the continuing wet weather. Plus, it’s the season for the little buggers, who love to bite us around the hairline – or anywhere they can find skin – and leave little round puncture wounds that can itch or swell or even become infected. And DEET doesn’t even faze them! I think they like the smell! How I hate black fly season! The good news is that eventually they go away with the advent of the warmer, drier weather of summer.
 |
| Anopheles mosquito |
Not so with the female mosquito of the genus Anopheles – the one that spreads the parasite Plasmodium, which causes the dreadful disease Malaria. Malaria was eliminated in the United States in the 1950s, but it remains a serious health problem across the globe, particularly in the developing African countries. In tropical climates, the Anopheles mosquito is always a threat. There is no cure for malaria, and it poses a threat to 200 to 300 million people worldwide. Infants and children are the most susceptible. One child dies every 45 seconds from Malaria, more than one million annually in Africa.
The United Methodist Church is collaborating with the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the global Fund, the Lutheran Church of America and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to rid the world of Malaria by 2015. The Gates Foundation has contributed $17 million to underwrite this effort. Their gift is to pay for administration, development, staffing and public information for this initiative. The goal is to raise an additional $75 million to use in four areas to eradicate malaria.
(1) PREVENTION by distributing bed nets through the Nothing But Nets program.
(2) EDUCATION to train community health workers and teach people how to protect themselves from malaria, and to disseminate information in countries without the luxury of TV and newspapers
(3) TREATMENT of those who have already contracted the disease.
(4) ERADICATION of the sources of the mosquitoes by draining stagnant pools of water.
JUST IMAGINE what 11.5 million compassionate United Methodists (and their friends!) can do to empower an entire continent to achieve a sustainable victory over malaria!
JULY IS IMAGINE NO MALARIA MONTH AT THE WEST DANVILLE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH!
 |
| The only good Anopheles mosquito! |
In July we will have lots of opportunities to learn more about malaria and the initiative to eradicate it by 2015. We will have opportunities to explore and decide how we will support this program, as individuals and as a church. Ten dollars buys a bed net and saves a life; $1,000 (or a pledge of $28/month for 3 years) would IMPACT 100 lives. We will have a community concert featuring singer Mark Shelton on July 22, from 7-9 p.m. We will have devotional materials to use, and special prayers of support for this important mission. Watch for updates, bulletin announcements, posters of events, and be sure to visit www.ImagineNoMalaria.com and www.westdanvilleumc.org for on-going information about Imagine No Malaria.
No comments:
Post a Comment