In the last 20 years, there has been a lot of progress in fighting against malaria, a disease caused by mosquitoes. Britain and other countries have worked together to stop nearly 12 million people from dying and 2 billion people from getting sick with malaria since the 2000s. Now, more countries than before are very close to getting rid of malaria completely. But there are some problems that make it hard to keep up the progress, like not having enough money to fight malaria, some medicines not working anymore, mosquitoes becoming resistant to insect sprays, and changes in the weather that affect where mosquitoes live. So, the fight against malaria is not finished yet.
Even today, a child dies from malaria every minute. Malaria is a very bad disease that hurts many people, especially children and pregnant women. In Africa, one out of every three pregnant women gets malaria, and in a part of Africa called sub-Saharan Africa, 80% of all the people who die fr om malaria are children. This disease causes a lot of pain and problems for families, communities, and countries. Britain is very good at science and medicine, and they can help a lot in ending malaria. British scientists are discovering new medicines and technology that can finally beat malaria. The UK is a leader in this, and they’ve done important things like making the first vaccine approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) for malaria and creating better mosquito nets. Now, it’s time to finish the job. The UK needs to keep investing in making new tools to save lives and support the ways to get these tools to the kids and communities who need them the most. British science and research can save lives all around the world, but they need money and support to keep doing their important work.
Right now, there’s a group called Zero Malaria Britain that’s starting a campaign. They’re asking all the political parties in Britain to promise to keep fighting against malaria. This is not the time to stop trying. Many people in Britain want to finish the job and be the generation that gets rid of malaria for good. By working with other countries, the UK government can listen to what the people want and be part of the team that makes malaria disappear completely.
Image Source: https://medium.com/history-in-bytes/how-colonial-britain-fought-against-malaria-quinine-99176a4f93c4