Media CenterThe Gambia Nears “Last Mile” of Malaria Elimination

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BANJUL

Tiffany Tupper
Events Manager
Catholic Relief Services
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[email protected]

BALTIMORE

Nikki Gamer
Media Relations Manager
Catholic Relief Services
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Non-profits and the Gambian government reach milestone in continued fight against malaria 

BANJUL, Gambia, July 5, 2017 –  Through international investment and a strong, Gambian-led campaign, The Gambia has seen a significant drop in the prevalence of malaria and of new infections of the disease. With a prevalence of only 0.2 percent, the country can now see a clear path to ‘no new cases’ of malaria by the year 2020.

On July 11, the government of The Gambia will host an event alongside the U.S. Embassy; Catholic Relief Services (CRS); and The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (The Global Fund) that will highlight its progress. The Gambia’s President Adama Barrow will preside over the gathering.

“We are proud that The Gambia has made major strides in its fight against malaria,” said Ms. Saffie Lowe Ceesay, The Gambia’s health minister. “With the ongoing support of the international community, elimination of the disease is now within sight - a first for a sub-Saharan African country.”

Landmark achievements include:

Malaria parasitic prevalence decreased by 95 percent, from 4 percent in 2010 to 0.2 percent in 2014.
Malaria infections fell by 50 percent across all regions between 2011-2016.

With support from The Global Fund, the Gambian government and CRS have been working together to eliminate malaria for more than a decade. Reaching nearly 2 million people in the last year alone, the work has included a broad range of prevention and control methods such as: ensuring access and proper use of bed-nets; spraying walls with insecticides; and ensuring rapid diagnosis, followed by proper treatment. In 2014, CRS began using seasonal malarial chemoprevention to help prevent malaria in children under the age of 5.

“Now is not the time to stop or even slow our work,” said Annemarie Reilly, CRS’ chief of staff and executive vice president of strategy and organizational development. “We know that the last mile will be the hardest, and that the disease can come back. But, with international support, we can make history.”

In 2015, there were approximately 212 million cases of malaria worldwide. Nearly half a million people died, most of them children.

In The Gambia, all of the major stakeholders say that more international investment is needed to be able to fully eradicate the disease.

“By wiping out malaria we can raise up an entire community—a country even,” said Mr. Abdoulie Mam Njie, executive secretary of the country coordinating mechanism of The Global Fund. “We are interested in not only sustaining the gains we’ve made so far, but in securing additional resources to win the battle against this deadly disease.”  

Ms. C. Patricia Alsup, the U.S. Ambassador to The Gambia added, “We know elimination is possible, and now we need everyone working together to achieve this milestone. We need continued engagement from partners, donors and the government alike.”

Event Details:

Date: July 11, 2017
Time: 7pm
Location: Gambia Coral Beach Hotel & Spa
Brufut Heights, AU Highway
Serekunda, The Gambia

Media should RSVP to: [email protected]

Photo gallery for journalists. Password: photos

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Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. The agency alleviates suffering and provides assistance to people in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding. For more information, please visit crs.org or crsespanol.org and follow CRS on social media: Facebook, @CatholicRelief, @CRSnews, YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest.