Here’s the deal.
I traveled to Eastern Africa this past summer (’09) and yes, through a series of crazy events, I contracted malaria. And to answer EVERYONE’s question, I, in fact, DID religiously take my medicine.
I’ll make this short… I contracted malaria in May, came home and traveled leading worship for 2 months while being exhausted like no one’s business, sore like an 80 – year old, and just flat out sick. In August I randomly became violently ill. I had a fever of 104 degrees for 10 days straight. Then after being tested for the third time I found out that yes, I did contract Malaria. To be honest, contracting malaria changed my life for the better. I have never been so conscious about taking care of myself. This has really improved my ministry and my relationships. But that’s an entirely different story.
I had a fever over 104 for 10 days. Just in case you missed that, I had a fever over 104 for 10 days. I have great healthcare and was treated and medicated like the best of them, but yet I was still miserable. However, millions of people are not as fortunate as I was/am. I’ll let the statistics speak for themselves…
- Malaria is one of the planet’s deadliest diseases and one of the leading causes of sickness and death in the developing world. According to the World Health Organization there are 300 to 500 million clinical cases of malaria each year resulting in 1.5 to 2.7 million deaths.
- Children aged one to four are the most vulnerable to infection and death. Malaria is responsible for as many as half the deaths of African children under the age of five. The disease kills more than one million children – 2,800 per day – each year in Africa alone. In regions of intense transmission, 40% of toddlers may die of acute malaria.
- About 40% of the world’s population – about two billion people – are at risk in about 90 countries and territories. 80 to 90% of malaria deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa where 90% of the infected people live.
- Sub-Saharan Africa is the region with the highest malaria infection rate. Here alone, the disease kills at least one million people each year. According to some estimates, 275 million out of a total of 530 million people have malaria parasites in their blood, although they may not develop symptoms.
The current goal is that by 2025, deaths caused by Malaria in Africa will be extinct. Let’s make this happen. Malaria has changed my life. This is really something I connect with and has been laid upon my heart. People are dying, let’s get serious. More coming your way about how you can help…
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
