NPR’s ‘Day to Day’ Reports on Zambian Malaria Prevention Program

NPR's "Day to Day" on Friday reported on an "ambitious" campaign funded in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that aims to reduce malaria deaths in Zambia by 75% over three years (Beaubien, "Day to Day," NPR, 12/9). The Seattle-based nongovernmental organization PATH and the Zambian government in May launched the initiative, called the Malaria Control and Evaluation Partnership in Africa. MCEPA -- which is funded by a nine-year, $35 million grant from the Gates Foundation and supported by other international organizations such as the World Health Organization -- could be used as a model for other African countries. MCEPA aims to implement the standards of the Roll Back Malaria partnership by supporting the rapid dissemination of malaria control measures -- including providing insecticide-treated nets, implementing mosquito control methods and improving access to medicine -- to 80% of Zambia's population within three years (GlobalHealthReporting.org, 5/20). The NPR segment includes comments from David Brandling-Bennett, senior program officer with the Gates Foundation; Naawa Sipilanyambe, acting coordinator of Zambia's National Malaria Control Center; and Zambian residents ("Day to Day," NPR, 12/9). The complete segment is available online in RealPlayer.