Malaria Help from U.S. Nurses

QUESTION

What can American nurses do to help those with malaria?

ANSWER

It is great that you are interested in helping the fight against malaria. One very valuable thing that nurses can do, given their crucial medical training, is volunteer overseas in places that are hard-hit by malaria. Websites such as this: Volunteer Abroad post these kinds of opportunities when they become available. Other, longer-term, volunteering opportunities are also available through governmental programs such as Peace Corps.

Closer to home, nurses can help to galvanize their communities to raise awareness about malaria. Another large-scale effort throughout the United States has been to try to raise money to buy long-lasting insecticide treated bednets for communities around the world, and particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, which are especially at risk of malaria. You could hold a fund-raising event in your community, or perhaps get involved with the initiatives in other ways. Many organizations are working towards bednet distribution, and links to just a couple of them are here:

Malaria No More

Project Mosquito Net

NetGuarantee: Financing Speeds Delivery of Mosquito Nets

NetGuarantee, a new innovative finance facility, announces its first transaction with Zurich in North America, part of the Zurich Financial Services Group, to celebrate World Malaria Day today, April 25. This collaboration will help accelerate access to and advance the delivery of vital malaria prevention tools in Africa by six to 10 months, and shows how core business competencies and best practices can improve efficiencies in global health and save lives.

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