The Daily Observer (Banjul)
5 November 2008
Malaria is just one of the killer diseases that continue to haunt the continent of Africa; and it accounts for the highest death toll among children under the age of 5 and pregnant women in Africa.
Its severity is conspicuously pronounced by its steady consumption of a significant chunk of health budgets of the mainly poor countries of the developing world.
Past studies indicated that cutting down on Malaria prevalence would leave a greater accommodating space for other relevant budgetary allocations, like education and infrastructural development.
A recent publication on the prestigious science journal, the Lancet, captured by the Daily Observer, on our last edition, confirms the result of a dedicated effort towards the scourges of the ailment.
The fact that the lancet proclaims The Gambia as a model for other countries in the malaria endemic zone testifies to this.
The said article gave a detailed explanation leading to the massive decline of malaria cases in The Gambia to the point of no single death relating to malaria registered in the year 2007. This development is a source of great relief and, indeed a worthy cause for celebration.
The joy is for all of us as Gambians, and our friends residing in the Gambia, but the credit goes to those who have dedicated all their time, effort and energy, in ensuring this significant scientific breakthrough.
As many of our online readers put it, the stage for this important development had been set by none but the leadership of the country, on whose priority list health future prominently.
However, considering the deadly nature of malaria, and the occasional complicated nature of the parasite involved, we should be wary of the dangers of complacency.
We must all be seen to coordinate our efforts towards making malaria total history in The Gambia, Africa and the world at large.
Equal thanks must be extended to the department of state for Health and Social Welfare for their untiring and relentless efforts towards achieving this noble goal.
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