Arysta LifeScience Africa supports anti-malaria campaign

By CnAgri2012-08-02 18:14:52 Print Arysta LifeScience in Africa is on a mission to kick out malaria. The company has partnered with the Ministry of Health and the Malaria Control and Evaluation Partnership in Africa (MACEPA) to raise general public awareness of the disease.

As part of the campaign, Arysta LifeScience supported the release of a DVD by reggae artist Chris Aka. Aka’s DVD, entitled I Want to Be There, was recorded to sensitize people about the need to kick out malaria. Aka is a councillor in the Kabangwe area in Lusaka and is also a malaria ambassador of the National Malaria Control Centre. He has been involved actively in the anti-malaria campaign through music shows during which he distributes mosquito nets and offers tips on how to prevent and treat the disease.

In addition to raising public awareness, Arysta LifeScience has joined forces with Syngenta, Chemtura and Micronair to offer integrated vector management solutions for malaria control. Their efforts include a recently announced partnership between Arysta LifeScience and Chemtura to distribute Dimilin ®, a larvicide to eradicate potential vectors at their source. Simultaneously, a new long-lasting indoor spray, Actellic® 300 CS from Syngenta, was registered and is particularly important due to its effectiveness against pyrethroid-resistant mosquitoes.

"Having an integrated solution from larvicide to indoor residual through to nets, application equipment, education and training is critical to a sustainable approach,” said John Barnes, CEO of Africa & Middle East for Arysta LifeScience. “We look to foster as many partnerships as possible to meet the millennium goals of total eradication of malaria.”

Malaria remains the single most important mosquito- borne disease, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimating that some 700 million people are at risk of malaria in Africa. Annually, there are some 250 million cases of this disease worldwide with approximately 1 million deaths, mostly of children or other vulnerable individuals. In sub-Saharan Africa, the disease is endemic and the majority of deaths (90%) occur in Africa.