We’re at the ESPN Zone in NYC to recognize a campaign geared to unite the world against malaria leading up the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Additionally, the breakfast welcomes Charles Ssali, a “United Against Malaria” youth ambassador (and soccer fanatic!), visiting from Uganda. Also in attendance is UN Special Envoy for Malaria Ray Chambers, Chairman of Malaria No More Peter Chernin and Major League Commissioner Don Garber, speaking as “Champions” of the campaign, plus Toronto FC player Dwayne de Rosario, US Executive  Director for the ONE Campaign Sheila Nix and United Methodist Church Bishop Thomas Bickerton.

To bring these champions together in friendly competition, we set up a Speed Kick challenge to see who can kick a soccer ball with the most speed to help us reach our goal of ending malaria deaths. The winner has yet to be determined (the champions are still firing away), but results will be in soon!

Be sure to check back on our blog and United Against Malaria sites (Facebook / Twitter) for pictures from the event of the champions, speed kick winner and a surprise guest…

I am fortunate to be at this conference attending fascinating presentations and meeting so many incredible players on the malaria scene. The opportunity to  learn about their experiences and motivations has taught me so much about malaria in just a few days.

One of the first admirable individuals I interviewed was Caterina Capaccioli, head of Strategic Planning & Execution, Malaria Initiatives at Novartis. Caterina introduced me to the role that collaboration among different organizations—corporations, non profits, African miniseries of health and others—have played in successfully reducing the malaria burden. For example, Novartis has worked closely with the Chinese government to develop effective innovations.  Another example  is the partnership between organizations like Malaria No More who help distribute mosquito nets and those who produce and distribute antimalarial treatments, pairing prevention and treatment. One major advantage to such collaborations is the greater number of skills and resources available to unite against malaria.

Combining unique specialties among partners is necessary when facing the constantly evolving malaria threat. A united front is much stronger and efficient than many  individual effort!

Jessica’s trip to Kenya was supported by Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation and Malaria No More.

The MIM conference is such an international scene! I love being able to hear presentations from representatives of  multiple African and European countries in a single session and observing the fierce commitment they all share to the same cause. The desire to confront malaria transcends language, homeland, and occupation. All backgrounds are welcome here, even me — an American college student who has never personally suffered from malaria. Another exciting aspect of the conference is that it evidences the endless  possibilities for changing the world. As a college student, my peers are constantly making plans to save the world. Here, I am given affirmation that those dreams don’t fade once we enter the working world. At MIM, I’m hearing from dozens of successful scientists, health care professionals, entrepreneurs, policy makers, journalists, NGOs, and others who have built impressive careers dedicated towards ending malaria. Wanting to make the world a better place is not wholly an elusive idealism. It is a viable and thriving operation that calls for people from all walks of life. The only requirement: determination.

Jessica’s trip to Kenya was supported by Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation and Malaria No More.

Once we arrived at Mwea, we met Dr. John, director of the Vector Control Center at Mwea Mission Hospital. The outdoor hospital is four hours away from the next hospital and served a large patient body. The large rice paddies in that region force hospitals to be far apart. Dr. John and Jane told us about how they had reduced malaria occurrences to almost 0% in the area surrounding the hospital, through a combination of prevention and treatment measures. They pushed large campaigns to encourage the community to consistently sleep under pesticide-treated bed nets and made sure powerful ACTs were readily available for those with malaria. A large problem in applying our existing tools for fighting malaria is patient compliance. You can give a bed net to family, but if left alone, families will often misuse them or use them inconsistently. The same goes true with ACTs – often patients feel better after a day or two of treatment and stop taking their medicines. Creative strategies are necessary to motivate consistent net usage and compliance with malaria treatments. One of Mwea’s strategies includes portraying nets as “fashionable,” by having respected community leaders show friends and families that the frequently using nets are critical to avoiding mosquitoes. Malaria is preventable and not a fact of life, using the slogan “mosquito out, we are in the net together!” Rather than imposing the nets on the community, Mwea Mission Hospital was successful in encouraging net use in culturally sensitive, sustainable ways that actively involved community members.

After this discussion, we were given a tour of the laboratory. Two of the technicians demonstrated how they test patients for malaria parasites by examining their blood samples under the microscope. Sitting in the middle of a table in the room was a box containing dozens of tiny Anopheles mosquitoes that the laboratory used to study Plasmodium and to train community members in identifying and diagnosing malaria parasites in blood samples. I had never seen an infected Anopheles mosquito, and I was simultaneously repulsed and awed. Then, to my shock, one of the technicians actually mouth-pipetted a few mosquitoes into a tube for us to see. He showed us how to identify the male and female mosquitoes (the males are smaller and have little beards on their mouthparts). There was also a small tub of water where Anopheles larva wriggled and waited to turn into winged adults. Alongside the larva, I noticed a snail floating in the water. Turns out they also study the snail-borne parasite Schistosomiasis, another danger to workers in the rice paddies. I got really excited because the laboratory where I study malaria at UC San Francisco also focuses on Schistosomiasis. Except when they keep live specimens of the parasite, they are locked in a biohazard room and everyone always wears gloves before going anywhere near the infected snails. I was very impressed at the operations of this Mwea laboratory because they accomplished so much training, diagnosis, and research with a tiny fraction of the equipment I’m used to having in UC San Francisco’s laboratories.

We also talked to Jane about the health education projects she leads at local schools. She discussed some effective strategies for motivating both children and their parents to follow good anti-malarial habits and talked about how their programs encouraged children to take an active role in malaria prevention. This is part of a larger effort to inspire the next generation to take on malaria rather than accept the disease as unstoppable. Children produced beautiful art and poetry through various contests themed around malaria at the schools, some of which had grown into national contests bringing together children from different regions. Malaria education also gave children an opportunity to learn about future career options, like becoming lab technicians or doctors. Jane exemplified how communities are using malaria to create opportunities for growth, unity, and action independent of foreign aid.

Jessica’s trip to Kenya was supported by Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation and Malaria No More.

Today we got outside the city for a memorable road trip into rural Kenya. Our destination: Mwea Mission Hospital, 2 hours north of Nairobi, to learn about the role of African health clinics in fighting malaria. A colorful cast accompanied Rachel and I, including an Oxford scholar writing a book on the history of British malariologists, a well-known Belgian photographer, an Italian from Novartis, and Jane, our knowledgeable guide for the day who serves as the Malaria Coordinator for CFW Shops, a sustainable health care organization.

I thought I would fall asleep on the two hour ride, but as soon as we left the city limits, the skyscrapers gave way to tropical green hills, with fields of beans, coffee, maize, and rice paddies rolling by. The lush landscape was dotted by people walking or riding bikes on the dirt paths lining the freeways, some with heavy baskets on their backs. Road construction was a constant sight, with mounds of bright red dirt forming on either side of the existing road. Buildings got sparser and appeared increasingly run-down. Eventually we hit areas lined with crowded markets. Vendor stands selling items ranging from fresh mango to wood-carved bed frames, and shoes consisted of either blankets on the ground or small booths composed of tree branches and straw roofs. We began seeing more donkey-pulled carts and fewer cars. As the road became muddier, lined with rice paddies, we were grateful that we were in a four-wheel drive.

Jessica’s trip to Kenya was supported by Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation and Malaria No More.

]]> http://malarianomore.org/blog/?feed=rss2&p=1977 0 http://malarianomore.org/blog/?p=1948 http://malarianomore.org/blog/?p=1948#comments Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:01:01 +0000 Jessica Uno http://malarianomore.org/blog/?p=1948 Jessica Uno is winner of the World Briefing: Telling the Malaria Contest co-sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation and Malaria No More. Her winning essay earned her a trip to cover the MIM Pan-African Malaria Conference in Kenya and report back on the latest in the global effort to end malaria.

So far my stay in Nairobi has been full of juxtapositions and conflicting images. It was hot and humid when we arrived at the Nairobi airport. The first thing I remember was my annoyance at my checked luggage, which for some reason was soaked through with (hopefully) water. The second thing I noticed were the rows of families lining the walls of the airport. It took me a moment to figure out why all these families were sitting on thin blankets against the airport walls. Then I realized they weren’t going anywhere, they were spending the night there. Men, women, and children of all ages were either praying or leaning against the sticky walls watching the sudden surge of obvious foreigners pulling their luggage through the hallway to find the fresh air outside the airport building, where dozens of shiny-faced cab drivers solicited customers. The air was thick and smoggy, and having spent the last 27 hours on an airplane or in an airport, I was eager to get to the hotel.

After we got in a taxi to the hotel, the scene immediately changed. As we drove into the city, neon signs flashed everywhere, and 5-story high billboards advertised cell phones, Coca-Cola, and television shows. All the signs were in English. I was surprised at how few of the signs actually featured African individuals. The television ads all featured Caucasian characters. The buildings got taller and taller as we approached our hotel. The city reminded me of Buenos Aires or New York, with people milling about everywhere under the gigantic lit billboards, despite the late hour. The roads were obviously dangerous for pedestrians; our driver never slowed when people walked in front of the car. Everyone somehow made it across the street in one piece though.

When I got to my 12th  story hotel room, I tried to photograph the view. I failed because my flash ruined the photo and without flash it just looked like a bunch of dots, but it was quite beautiful. In the daytime, the city from above looks a lot like Los Angeles, but with more trees. They stick scarecrows at the tops of some of the trees to scare away certain birds. The Hilton Hotel where I am staying is very comfortable and well-furnished inside, as are the conference center and the other hotels where we are interviewing different people.

I feel really guilty staying in such nice conditions when I am constantly hearing and talking about the millions of families suffering from malaria. I think it is one of the greatest ironies about these kinds of conferences. Not that I’m saying we should all stay in huts for the conference, but the discussion of malaria and its impoverished victims contrast so starkly with the air-conditioned, well-dressed environment of the conference. I personally struggle constantly with the thought of being so fortunate when so many others are barely making ends meet. Spending time in Nairobi, as well as Argentina and Mexico this past summer, have forced me to re-examine my lifestyle and the privileges I take for granted while living in the Bay Area. These thoughts however make me more amazed at the projects and efforts displayed at this conference. As I interview more leaders in the malaria field, I am more and more inspired by their compassion and motivations for eradicating malaria. I will share with you some of these motivations in later entries. In the meantime, I have to get some rest. Our days are ridiculously packed, and my sleep debt from Stanford midterms hasn’t quite worn off yet…

Jessica’s trip to Kenya was supported by Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation and Malaria No More.

After dinner on my first full day in Nairobi, I received this message on my dessert plate. “…Energy and Persistence conquers all things…” It is a sign! I often feel overwhelmed when thinking about the staggering death toll of malaria on vulnerable peoples. However, in light of talking with Ambassador Green about “finishing the job” and hearing exciting presentations confirming the success rates of the Novartis malaria initiative program and other antimalarial efforts, this message was a very coincidental way to end my day.

Jessica’s trip to Kenya was supported by Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation and Malaria No More.

Ambassador Mark Green

Before I left for Nairobi, Emily from MNM set up a phone interview for me with Mark Green, executive director of Malaria No More’s Policy Center. Mr. Green recently finished serving as U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania and helped craft a number of policies and programs surrounding American foreign aid in women’s rights and health, AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. Ambassador Green’s impressive accomplishments and the fact that he was my first interview for this trip made me quite nervous about talking to him, but I was pleasantly surprised by his open and encouraging personality.

Ambassador Green has demonstrated his prowess in navigating policy related to Africa. His firsthand experiences living and working in Africa, personally suffering malaria, observing the child lives lost, families damaged, and economic productivity impaired by malaria have made him a skilled leader and policymaker. Ambassador Green described to me that until recently, malaria seemed an inevitable fact of life in Africa. However, we now know that malaria is highly treatable and preventable.

One point that stood out in our interview was the need to finish the job with malaria eradication. It is clear that we have the prevention and treatment tools that, when combined, are extremely effective in reducing malaria deaths. However, applying these tools to achieve our goal requires extended attention from the public, policymakers and leaders. According to Ambassador Green, some people would look at the statistic stating that malaria rates are less than 1% in Zanzibar and think “Oh, malaria’s not a problem anymore!” It is when this attitude takes hold however that malaria comes roaring back.

For those who aren’t familiar with malaria, it is a parasite that is transmitted by mosquitoes to humans. Once in a human, some of the parasites hide dormant in the body while others go out attacking, and so even if you clear a patient of the attacking parasites, the dormant ones are still there, capable of popping out unexpectedly and wreaking further havoc. Same in mosquitoes, not all of the parasites leave the mosquito when it bites a human. Thus, there are many ways the parasite persist in either human or mosquito hosts.

As Ambassador Green put it, “mosquitoes don’t respect national borders.” Until we completely stamp out the Plasmodium parasite, it will always be capable of returning with a vengeance, either through mosquitoes or humans. It’s an all or nothing battle. It requires commitment, but our progress so far has been extremely promising, and Ambassador Green believes that our efforts will be worthwhile during our lifetime. And the progress we make in fighting malaria and the surge of humanitarian energy such a victory would generate can be applied to thousands of causes elsewhere.

Jessica’s trip to Kenya was supported by Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation and Malaria No More.

Hi everyone!

My name is Jessica Uno, or as my friends cleverly refer to me, “Juno,” (I got that nickname BEFORE the movie came out) and I am a junior at Stanford University. I have spent my entire life in the San Francisco Bay Area, which I love dearly, but any chance to travel is always a welcome opportunity. I am majoring in Anthropology and am especially interested in examining global health care issues through medical anthropology. I have been researching the malaria parasite, Plasmodium, at the Sandler Center for Basic Research in Parasitic Disease at UC San Francisco for the past four summers. Now I am exploring the roles of policy and advocacy in treating and preventing malaria in Africa. I am hoping this trip will answer some of my questions about our role in addressing underserved populations worldwide and give me a realistic vision of the condition of the malaria epidemic in Africa.

I am in the Zurich airport right now. It’s my first time in Europe! (sort of). On my way back I am definitely picking up some Swiss chocolate. My MP3 player froze during the last hour of the 7-hour flight to Zurich, and now my 8-hour flight to Kenya is looking bleak and music-less. I left Stanford at 4 AM Sunday morning, after Halloween, for a 5-hour flight to New York. No, I didn’t wear my Street Fighter costume on the plane, although I was tempted. I am pretty confused about what time or day it is. By the time I reach Nairobi I will have been traveling for 24 hours. I cannot wait to sleep in a bed rather than nap awkwardly slumped over the food tray of my airplane seat. I finally got to meet Novartis representative Rachel, who will be traveling with me the entire trip in Nairobi. I am super pumped for this trip. It will be my first time to Africa, and Rachel showed me my action-packed itinerary.

Hopefully by the end of the trip I will have had some interesting anecdotes to share with you all. Thanks for reading my first entry. I promise I will have more interesting reflections to share with you very soon.

Jessica’s trip to Kenya was supported by Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation and Malaria No More.