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| |  WHO, UNESCO Join Forces To Fight Malaria GENEVA, SWITZERLAND -- May 8, 1997 -- In recognition of the role that education can play in malaria prevention, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on May 2 by which the two organizations will collaborate in assisting countries to implement the Global Malaria Control Strategy. Dr. Hiroshi Nakajima, Director General of WHO, and Mr. Federico Mayor, Director General of UNESCO, signed the Memorandum on behalf of their respective organizations. Every year some 300-500 million people become ill with malaria and between 1.5 and 2.7 million die from it. Ninety percent of these deaths occur in Africa south of the Sahara. "Malaria is preventable and curable. Through health education, WHO and UNESCO aim to mobilize schools, children, parents and the community to play their part in promoting malaria-safe behaviour. Through personal protection measures, early diagnosis and treatment, and community-based preventive measures, we can substantially reduce mortality rates among young children and morbidity rates among schoolchildren," said Dr. Kazem Behbehani, Director of WHO's Division of Control of Tropical Diseases. Under the terms of the Memorandum, WHO and UNESCO will collaborate on education and the protection of the health of children through the development of educational materials, the training of teachers and other educational personnel, and the elaboration of communication materials for the media. The Memorandum forms part of WHO's efforts in implementing the Global Malaria Control Strategy, developed in conjunction with national Ministries of Health. "Studies by UNESCO in rural Africa have shown that over one-sixth of primary school children have had two or more attacks of malaria in the current school term, typically missing a week or more of school with each attack. This collaboration should play an important part in reducing this burden and allowing children to reach their potential to contribute fully to future social and economic growth," said Susan Van der Vynckt, Senior Programme Specialist of UNESCO's Division of Basic Education. WHO's Division of Control of Tropical Diseases and UNESCO's Division of Basic Education, in cooperation with the science sector, will be responsible for implementing the Memorandum.
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