Two million children in Zambia receive antimalarial treatment

8 Apr 2014

Two million treatments of Novartis paediatric antimalarial treatments are arriving in Zambia thanks to the ongoing efforts of the company in collaboration with Malaria No More's Power of One campaign. This will reduce the disease burden in Zambia, which accounts for up to 40% of infant mortality in that country.

Two million children in Zambia receive antimalarial treatment

Power of One is a global digital fundraising campaign that enables the public to fund malaria tests and treatments for children in Africa through online and mobile technology. It enables people around the world to help end child deaths from malaria, a preventable and treatable disease.

The campaign, which launched to the public in September 2013, uses social, mobile and e-commerce technologies, enabling the public to purchase treatments for children in Zambia. Donors are able to share information with their social networks and encourage friends to donate.

"Although the incidence of malaria has decreased, the disease still kills a child every minute in Africa," said Joseph Jimenez, CEO of Novartis. "Our commitment to Power of One reflects our company's long-term efforts to fight malaria and the company remains dedicated to controlling and ultimately eliminating this deadly disease."

The World Health Organization has recognized this fatal disease as a priority area of public health. This year's World Health Day focuses on vector-borne diseases and malaria is the most deadly.

"One and a half million treatments are already on the ground in Zambia thanks to the campaign, with a further 500,000 anticipated in the coming weeks," said Martin Edlund, CEO, Malaria No More. "Power of One is resonating with the public and their donations will help us ensure that children in Zambia will have access to the treatment they need."

Novartis is supporting the campaign financially and has pledged to match up to 1 million treatments funded by the public every year through 2015. For more than a decade, its Malaria Initiative has worked to improve access to treatment, help communities deliver better healthcare and has invested in research and development into the next generation of antimalarial treatments. Since 2009, it has delivered over 600 million treatments, of which more than 200 million were treatments developed without profit specifically for children in malaria-endemic countries. Never before have so many paediatric treatments been distributed in such a short timeframe to children suffering from malaria.