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2005 National News Releases

Canadian Red Cross gives lifesaving gift to over 2 million families in Mozambique and Niger

	A long-lasting insecticide-treated bed net from Red Cross will help to protect this young family from malaria for up to five years.

Over the month of December, Red Cross volunteers will travel throughout Mozambique and Niger—two of the world’s poorest countries, to distribute long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets to families with children under five years old. The bed nets—which last for up to five years—will be given out free of charge to provide protection against mosquito bites that transmit malaria.

The nets are provided by the Canadian Red Cross with funding from the Canadian International Development Agency. Several Canadian Red Cross delegates are involved in this effort.

Malaria poses a serious health risk around the world, especially in Africa where malaria is the leading killer of children under five. The Red Cross estimates that 500 million people are infected with malaria each year. Over 1 million of these are children who will die from the disease.

	400,000 long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets start the last leg of their journey from a Red Cross warehouse in Mozambique into the hands of families who need them.

“These nets are a cost effective way of fighting death and disease due to malaria, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, which accounts for 90 percent of deaths due to malaria worldwide,” said Marcy Erskine, Canadian Red Cross Malaria Advisor in Mozambique. “Often people who are in greatest need are unable to access or afford them—even at a cost of about $8.00 CDN each.”

The Red Cross will distribute approximately 400,000 treated bed-nets in Mozambique and 2,030,000 treated bed-nets in Niger.   The Red Cross distributed over  700,000 treated bed-nets last year in a similar program in Togo, another impoverished African country.

“This malaria prevention program will make a huge difference in the lives of families,” said David Lough, a member of Canadian Red Cross Board of Governors who assisted with the distribution program in Mozambique in early December.  “Malaria can represent a serious financial burden to families Mozambique, as malaria medication is expensive. Most importantly, it is estimated that at least six lives can be saved for every 1,000 children who sleep under a bed net.”

This integrated initiative is a collaborative effort with the Canadian International Development Agency, Mozambique Red Cross, Mozambique Ministry of Health,  WHO, and UNICEF.

Facts and Figures: Mozambique Mosquito Bed-Net Distribution Project

Facts and Figures: Niger Mosquito Bed-Net Distribution Project

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For more information or to arrange an interview with a spokesperson in Mozambique or Niger, please contact:

Alice d’Anjou
Canadian Red Cross
Tel.:  (613) 740-1928
Cell:  (613) 222-6196

Posted December 6, 2005/updated December 23, 2005