Fight Against Malaria - Q2 - Apr 2019

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Q2 / 2019 AN INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION DISTRIBUTED IN THE GUARDIAN ON BEHALF OF MEDIAPLANET WHO TAKE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ITS CONTENTS

Fight against malaria FIGHTAGAINSTMALARIA.COM

Why I’m adding my voice to David Beckham says: the campaign to end malaria “Please add your voice” A Nigerian doctor who lends his voice — literally — to the Malaria Must Die campaign fronted by David Beckham, tells his personal story about contracting and treating the disease.

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s a boy growing up in Nigeria, Dr Elvis Eze contracted malaria not once, but four times. And those were just the times that were confirmed. “In Nigeria, malaria is normalised,” he explains. “People say: ‘I had malaria, but I’m well now.’” Yet the disease should not be dismissed so easily, he insists — because malaria kills. “Each time I had fever, my body ached and I felt as though I was going to die,” says Dr Eze. “However, thankfully, I never had severe malaria. With the extreme version of the disease — which is usually more common in children — patients can become unconscious and start convulsing.” If untreated, it can be fatal. I was lucky malaria didn’t kill me Looking back, Dr Eze — who now works in emergency medicine at Southend University Hospital — realises that he could easily have lost his life had the illness progressed to the severe stage. “And that messes with my head,” he admits. “As a kid, I never really grasped the severity of my situation.” Becoming a doctor, working in emergency rooms in Lagos and seeing people die from the disease changed all that. “That was when it dawned on me that malaria was a big problem and something had to be done about it,” he says. “Being on the frontline opened my eyes. That was my inspiration to tell my personal story and take part in the Malaria Must Die campaign.” Dr Eze’s voice appears in the Malaria Must Die campaign video, speaking Yoruba through David Beckham (using AI technology) and inviting people to sign up to the world’s first voice petition to help end the disease.

150 years ago, all countries (except in Antarctica) had endemic malaria within their borders. Since then, half have eliminated malaria. David Beckham is working to accelerate this progress through the latest phase of the Malaria Must Die campaign.

If we follow a two-pronged approach of preventing it and treating it appropriately, we will be able to eradicate malaria in our lifetime.”

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knew who David Beckham was,” he says. “Many people in my country do because we watch football a lot. I was on social media yesterday and MPs were re-tweeting information about the campaign. So someone with David Beckham’s profile and reach can get the message out to the right people.” That’s important, but so is better collaboration between numerous stakeholders, notes Dr Eze. For example, if everyone from political leaders and medical researchers to organisations with innovative technologies talk to each other, the goal of halving malaria across the Commonwealth by 2023 is within our grasp. “We have to remember that this is a disease that is preventable and treatable,” he says. “If we follow a two-pronged approach of preventing it and treating it appropriately, we will be able to eradicate malaria in our lifetime.

David Beckham stars in global video to inspire support David Beckham is a founding member of Malaria No More UK Leadership Council and a committed champion in the fight against malaria with over a decade of support for Malaria No More UK. In his long-term role as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador he has seen the impact of malaria on people’s lives in countries such as Sierra Leone. This year, David Beckham is launching the world’s first voice petition to end malaria for the campaign Malaria Must Die, So Millions Can Live.

ince 2000, a combination of powerful new tools, increased investment and strengthened international political commitment has cut malaria deaths globally by more than 60%, saving almost seven million lives, mainly young children. Ending malaria is achievable with the right action. However, it will return if it is not controlled. Decisions made now by political leaders – backed by strong public support – will determine this trajectory.

Tony Greenway

Better collaboration is needed to defeat the disease “When I was growing up in Nigeria I followed the English Premier League and always DR ELVIS EZE NHS Doctor, Southend University Hospital and contributor to Malaria Must Die

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Instead of collecting signatures, the campaign asks people around the world to use the power of their voice to demand action by visiting malariamustdie.com and recording the message ‘Malaria Must Die’. “I have been working with Malaria No More UK for over 10 years and to be a part of this campaign and to help share some of the real stories behind malaria is really important to me,” says David. Global malaria survivors speak ‘through David’ In a short film, produced by Ridley Scott Associates and harnessing ground breaking AI technology, David appears to speak nine languages. But the voices are not all his own. Instead, using emerging AI video synthesis technology, we hear David speaking the voices of men and women from around the world, including malaria survivors and doctors fighting the disease. Each voice represents a part of the world affected by malaria, past or present; from the UK to China, a country on the brink of elimination, to Nigeria, where the malaria toll is the heaviest with close to 300 lives lost every day, mainly young children. David goes on to explain: “Dr Elvis Eze, who was with us on set, has suffered with malaria many times and as a doctor, he has seen how dangerous this disease can be. For me, it was so important to learn how he is using his experiences to raise awareness of malaria with young people in the UK and abroad.” The petition will contribute to a unique piece of audio art that will be delivered to world leaders ahead of critical funding decisions for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in six months’ time. “It’s unacceptable that malaria still kills a child every two minutes so please add your voice to the petition,” says David. DAVID BECKHAM Malaria No More, Leadership Council

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Industry Manager: Georgia Gerstein E-mail: georgia.gerstein@mediaplanet.com Content and Production Manager: Kate Jarvis Managing Director: Alex Williams Digital Manager: Jenny Hyndman Designer: Kiane Blackman Content and Social Editor: Harvey O’Donnell Mediaplanet contact information: Phone: +44 (0) 203 642 0737 E-mail: uk.info@mediaplanet.com All images supplied by Gettyimages, unless otherwise specified

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