The
Fifth AMANET Biennial Conference is On!
21 February 2007
African Scientists Meet
in Zanzibar to Discuss Progress on Research for Malaria
Prevention and Control
The African Malaria Network Trust (AMANET) is holding its Fifth
Biennial Conference in Zanzibar next week. The three day
Conference will be held at the Zanzibar Beach Hotel and Resort
from 26 – 28 February 2007. The meeting will bring together more
than 150 eminent scientists, researchers, policy makers and
other experts in malaria from all over Africa, Europe and the
US. They will discuss new research findings and future
perspectives for capacity building, funding and developments in
malaria R&D, intervention and control.
The theme for this Conference is: "Results from Clinical
Development and Trials of Malaria Interventions." In addition to
receiving and discussing scientific presentations, the
Conference will chart out proposals for future actions to
contribute to the development of new and effective tools against
malaria which has remained “Africa’s Public Health Enemy Number
One”.
Speaking in Dar es salaam, the AMANET Communications Officer, Dr
Charles Wanga said that Malaria exerts the heaviest toll in
African communities both socially and economically. The disease
contributes to significant loss of life. It causes anaemia and
its various complications, miscarriage, brain damage, decreased
productivity. It hampers children's social development through
sickness, absenteeism from school, and neurological disabilities
caused by severe infection. Adults debilitated by the disease
either cannot work or do so at decreased capacity, and lose
earnings. Malaria disrupts the education system when children
are either too sick to attend school, or their teachers are
absent because of malaria-related illnesses.
Dr Wanga added, “Even though this killer disease has almost
evolved together with humans, scientists and researchers are
still struggling to cope with the challenges for its prevention
and control which are further complicated by high disease rates,
development of drug and insecticide resistance and rampant
poverty. The aim of the Conference in Zanzibar is therefore to
review recent research advances in the fight against malaria and
propose new frontiers for Africa to finally defeat this ever so
deadly disease.”
Zanzibar has been chosen as venue for the Conference because of
its recent definite and tangible successes in the fight against
the malaria scourge. The Zanzibar Malaria Control Programme (ZMCP)
in collaboration with the US President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI),
the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the Global Fund, have
distributed insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNS) to almost all
children and pregnant women in the isles, sprayed over 200,000
households with insecticides, and made available very effective
artemisinin based combination therapy (ACTs) to everyone that
needs treatment for malaria in Zanzibar. This has resulted in
unparalleled decrease in reported malaria cases and quicker
recovery for those infected. Some clinics are now rarely seeing
patients with malaria in Zanzibar so much so that since malaria
has been the most prevalent disease, the benches in the clinics
are empty most of the day!
“We are bringing everyone to Zanzibar to witness this success
and we hope other countries in Africa, will emulate the Zanzibar
success story”, said Prof Kilama, AMANET Managing Trustee.
The Fifth Biennial Conference will be followed by the AMANET
General Assembly on Thursday, 01 March 2007.
AMANET is a not-for-profit pan-African International NGO
registered and based in Tanzania. The mission of AMANET is to
promote capacity strengthening and networking of malaria
research and development (R&D) in Africa.
Since its inception several years ago, AMANET has advanced
essential human capacity for undertaking research and
development of new malaria interventions, particularly malaria
vaccines across Africa.
Over 900 researchers across sub-Saharan Africa have participated
in short-term AMANET training workshops in such important areas
as health research ethics, good clinical practice, good
laboratory practices, design and methodology of intervention
trials, data management in intervention trials, molecular
biology and immunology of malaria vaccine development, malaria
vaccinology, management and leadership of malaria research
institutions, accounting for research funds, and strengthening
of principal investigators.
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