Malaria Partnership Launches "Cover The Bed Net Gap" Initiative To Protect Everyone At Risk Of Malaria In Africa

Livingstone, Zambia, 25 April 2008: In direct response to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's call for universal coverage of malaria control in Africa, the Roll Back Malaria Partnership (RBM) today launches the "Cover The Bed Net Gap" initiative to rally donor countries, multilateral institutions, the private sector, and the general public to achieve the goal of universal bed net coverage by December 31, 2010.

Recent studies show that significant inroads have been made in preventing malaria deaths through the widespread distribution of long-lasting insecticidal bed nets and effective medicines in Rwanda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Zanzibar. In addition, the pace at which we can distribute nets has increased greatly thanks in part to the inclusion of bed nets in mass integrated health campaigns across Africa.

Given their effectiveness and ease of delivery, bed nets are an expedient "first wave" of a comprehensive malaria control effort. According to RBM estimates, funding is available for approximately 99.5 million nets through 2010 via the Global Fund, USAID, the World Bank, and other major donors and funding institutions. This leaves a gap of approximately 150 million nets that need to be funded and deployed over the next 32 months.

The Cover The Bed Net Gap initiative is off to a strong start with the following commitments:

• Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced a UK commitment of 20 million bed nets to fight malaria in Africa.
• The U.S. President's Malaria Initiative (PMI) pledged 10.5 million bed nets for fiscal year 2008.
• American Idol and corporate sponsor ExxonMobil raised more than 1 million bed nets through American Idol's charity special Idol Gives Back earlier this month, with a final tally to be announced.

Incorporating these new commitments, the gap has already been reduced to 119 million nets.

With more than one million people still dying every year from malaria, global health leaders are coming together to accelerate the net scale up and significantly reduce deaths from this preventable and treatable disease. The website CoverTheBedNetGap.org will record the increased financial commitments and track bed net distributions towards the 2010 goal.

"CoverTheBedNetGap.org is an opportunity for the malaria community to document progress and hold the global partnership accountable over the next 32 months," said Dr. Awa-Marie Coll-Seck, Executive Director of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership. "We will strive to achieve universal coverage of bed nets in Africa by the end of 2010, thus dramatically reducing the number of lives lost to malaria."

For more information about the Cover The Bed Net Gap initiative, its partners, recent distributions and to track progress, go to CoverTheBedNetGap.org.

About the Roll Back Malaria Partnership
The Roll Back Malaria Partnership (RBM) was launched in 1998 by the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the United Nations Development Program, and the World Bank to provide cohesive and comprehensive support to countries burdened by malaria. The RBM Partnership has expanded exponentially since its launch and is now made up of a wide range of partners — including malaria-endemic countries, their bilateral and multilateral development partners, the private sector, nongovernmental and community-based organizations, foundations, and research and academic institutions — who bring a formidable assembly of expertise, infrastructure and funds into the fight against the disease.

A key role of the RBM Partnership is to lead continuing advocacy campaigns to raise awareness of malaria at the global, regional, national and community levels, thus keeping malaria high on the development agenda, mobilizing resources for malaria control and for research into new and more effective tools (including vaccine), and ensuring that vulnerable individuals are key participants in rolling back malaria.

CONTACT:
Pru Smith, Communication Adviser, Roll Back Malaria Partnership Secretariat
Tel: + 41 (0) 22 791 4586 - Mob: +41 79477 1744
Email: smithp@who.int www.rollbackmalaria.org