Mortein Doom #WipeOutMalaria online campaign against Malaria in its final days

The coming week marks the final days of the Mortein Doom Malaria campaign that was launched during a breakfast meeting held on 20^th April at Hotel Intercontinental.

The ongoing social media campaign is meant to raise awareness on Malaria prevention through online conversation using the hash tag #WipeOutMalaria.

Malaria continues to have a devastating impact on people’s health and livelihoods around the world. According to the World Health Organization’s  latest estimates released in December 2014, there were about 198 million cases of malaria in 2013 ,with an uncertainty range of 124 million to 283 million and an estimated 584 000 deaths, with an uncertainty range of 367 000 to 755 000.

Malaria mortality rates among children in Africa have been reduced by an estimated 58% since the year 2000. Reckitt Benckiser is still calling out for expectant women to share baby bump pictures and also family pictures with children as they are also agents of change in the fight against Malaria. As the campaign closes on Friday, May 22^nd the winners with the most retweeted pictures will walk away with Mortein Doom gift hampers.

Expectant women and mothers should take basic prevention techniques and involve their children  in strategies like draining stagnant water around their homes , cutting overgrown grass while making sure the kids are safe playing out there and sleeping under a treated mosquito net creating a protective barrier against mosquitoes at night as seen on the current Malaria prevention advertisement on television.

During the breakfast meeting on 20^th April RB’s Country Manager, Sachin Varma there is an increase in malaria prevention and control measures that are dramatically reducing the disease burden in many places. He added that Mortein Doom has been involved in various vector control activities at the community level, working with Pumwani Maternity Hospital and Kenyatta National Hospital, providing them with insecticide sprays to assist in malaria control especially among expectant women.

Even with the online campaign coming to an end everyone is urged to follow these helpful tips on how to control any malaria infections:

• Avoid taking anti-malarial drugs without prescription after testing positive, especially with conditions such as pregnancy.
• Everyone is at risk of getting Malaria, expectant mothers and children below 5 years of age are at a higher risk due to their low immunity.
• Symptoms like fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, headache, chills and flu could be as a result of Malaria, you should go get tested.
• Prescribed medication should be followed and finished.

With these simple instructions, efforts to bring this disease under control and the goal to reduce incidences of malaria in countries by 75%, in line with World Health Assembly targets for 2015 can be achieved.