Malaria - a brief thought

There are about 600k deaths from malaria each year – and most of those in Central Africa (and good news that Africa in 2015 had its first polio-free year ever). I’ve seen malaria nets on sale in various places for no more than $3 or so – about £2. And the type that are like a mini-popup tent for 2-3 people rather than just a net. So, rough maths would suggest c.$2M to prevent most malaria deaths. Double or triple that amount and it’s still peanuts when even the UK is providing c.$20BN in aid each year. The issue seems a local of concerted effort to buy nets and then provide them for free – especially when most of the African population is in cities and has access to radio and mobile phones and television. We should at least understand from DFID invoices and NGO/charities funded by DFID how many malaria nets they are buying. Most of the large charities such as Oxfam or Red Cross have budgets of well over £100M each year. Even the RNLI has £140M in funds each year for less than 50 coastal deaths each year. So $2M on malaria nets is minimal. And (as with rabies drugs and 40k deaths in India each year) these problems are minor and completely preventable and solvable. The RNIB faces 39M blind people globally, and its £68M budget, so clearly cataract research is important but most problems can be solved by glasses or basic surgery at worst– most UK supermarkets provide the simple ready to wear glasses for no more than £10. While with the NHS in general we need a formal NHS programme for the Third World for hospital and GP liaison and surgery and hospital ships such as Operation Smile. If UK NHS hospitals such as Moorfields are opening paying branches in Dubai etc then why not a free version? And schools back of a fag packet maths: 62M kids not in school. A Surin School for 50 kids and c.3 teachers costs £20k to build. That would be c.80k schools each year and £1.8BN pa (c.£25BN over c.15 years in total – about 10% of just the current DFDI budget) to achieve 62M in school by 2030 and SDG30. £25BN is about the price of one of the new UK aircraft carriers. While £1.8BN would be about half a dozen of the new F35 fighter jets. Again not such a difficult problem – especially with the other NGO’s, other Governments’ education budgets and AUDB, ADB, AIIB banks etc. And certainly the other G20 nations achieving 0.7% GNI in aid would solve the problem even faster. @timg33 * Sincerity article: Soda Wars go pop http://sincerityagency.blogspot.co.uk/ * Sincerity article on Coca-Cola: http://sincerityagency.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/sweet-moves-from-coca-cola.html * 21st century Britain agenda article: http://lovekentloveramsgate.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/a-21st-century-britain-agenda.html * No Tobacco Day Smoking Sincerity article: http://sincerityagency.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/axaing-tobacco-and-china.html * EK Remedial points 2016: http://lovekentloveramsgate.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/kent-remedial-work-and-uk.html * EK strategy 2016: http://lovekentloveramsgate.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/garbutt-time-for-change-2016-east-kent.html * Surin restaurant review: top Thai restaurant in Kent: - Surin Thai restaurant the best Thai restaurant in Kent and one of only 45 of any cuisine in Kent according to KM: http://www.kentonline.co.uk/whats-on/news/our-guide-to-the-best-96108/ http://surinrestaurantramsgate.blogspot.co.uk/