Today marks the 5-year anniversary of the United Nations Foundation's Nothing But Nets campaign, and UN Foundation Founder and Chairman Ted Turner has spoken up about what the initiative has achieved.
“On November 14, the UN Foundation’s Nothing But Nets campaign commemorates its fifth anniversary and celebrates the significant progress made in the fight against malaria,” said Turner in a statement. "In five years, Nothing But Nets has made history by bringing together the world’s largest grassroots network of partners and supporters to protect families in Africa from malaria. Hundreds of thousands of people have helped Nothing But Nets send more than 6 million insecticide-treated nets through our United Nations partners, protecting families in more than 25 African countries from malaria-carrying mosquitoes.
“Together, we’re pushing back the clock on malaria. Just two years ago, malaria killed a child in Africa every 30 seconds; now, with the help of bed nets and other prevention and treatment tools, we’ve helped push that statistic to 45 seconds.
“Malaria is causing fewer deaths than ever, however we need to keep working to end deaths from this preventable and treatable disease. Half of the world’s population is still at risk, but simple solutions like bed nets are protecting millions of families every night. If we keep up this momentum and continue working together, we can reach the global goal of ending deaths from malaria by 2015.
“Anyone can join us in the fight against malaria. I encourage you to help us continue to send nets and save lives. Take action at www.NothingButNets.net.”
