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Acumen Fund. A to Z Textile Mills Mosquito Bed Nets. Malaria. infectious disease transmitted by mosquitoes widespread in tropical / subtropical regions (many LEDCs) causes fever and headache, but can cause coma and death
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Acumen Fund • A to Z Textile Mills • Mosquito Bed Nets
Malaria • infectious disease transmitted by mosquitoes • widespread in tropical / subtropical regions (many LEDCs) • causes fever and headache, but can cause coma and death • in 2010, 216 million cases of malaria documented, probably 1 million deaths, mostly children
Malaria causes poverty • health care costs • working days lost due to sickness • days lost in education • decreased productivity due to brain damage • loss of investment and tourism in areas with malaria
Malaria is caused by poverty • poor people don’t have the ability to treat the disease. • poor people don’t have the ability to prevent the disease
Treatment • The most effective strategy for mild-moderate infection is the use of artemisinins, drugs derived from the plant artemesia annus • up to 40% of public health spending in many countries spent for malaria treatment
Prevention is Vital! • Mosquito nets treated with insecticide can provide effective protection • Less than 13% of African households own one!
A to Z Textile Mills • Tanzania-based • 29 million low-cost (5$), long-lasting (5 years) anti-malaria bednets • provides jobs for 7,000 people, primarily women
Acumen Fund provided initial funding for these innovative bednets with low-cost loan (now repaid) a solution that promotes economic growth, jobs AND improves development at the same time
Sources: • “African households to reach continent-wide malaria coverage targets". Journal of the American Medical Association 297 (20): 2241–50. • “A to Z Textile Mills: Long-lasting Anti-Malaria Bednets.” Acumen Fund. (http://www.acumenfund.org/investment/a-to-z-textile-mills.html) • "Don't go to Bed with Malaria Mosquito." (1943-1945) Office for Emergency Management. Office of War Information. Domestic Operations Branch. Bureau of Special Services. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaria) • Jorge Ferreira (2005). Artemisia annua crop in Beaver West Virginia (Photograph, Online). (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaria) • Greenwood BM, Bojang K, Whitty CJ, Targett GA (2005). "Malaria". Lancet 365: (9469) 1487-98. • Lengeler C (2004). "Insecticide-treated bed nets and curtains for preventing malaria". Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (Online) (2): CD000363. • Nayyar GML, Breman JG, Newton PN, Herrington J (2012). "Poor-quality antimalarial drugs in southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa". Lancet Infectious Diseases 12 (6): 488–96. • Roll Back Malaria WHO partnership. "Economic costs of malaria" (PDF). WHO.