Together We Can Stop Malaria

A letter from Christi and Jeff Boyd, mission co-workers serving in the Congo

Winter 2024

 
Greetings!

I suspect many of you have experienced an annoying mosquito buzzing in your ear as you’ve tried to sleep, or as you’ve sat outside with friends or family on a summer evening. For many in this world, particularly for families in Africa, the buzzing mosquitos represent much more than an annoyance. The diseases they can carry are a threat, a constant attack on health and well-being. Foremost among those is malaria.

According to the World Health Organization, globally, there were an estimated 249 million cases of malaria in 2022 with 95% of those occurring in Africa. Also, of the 608,000 deaths attributed to malaria that year, 19 of every 20 were in Africa. Further, 80% of deaths are children under the age of five years. That is nearly half a million children in one year.

Examining blood samples for malaria in the lab

After nearly 60 years of research to find a vaccine for malaria, two were recently created. With that news, Presbyterian Africa Mission Network convenors decided to consult church partners in Africa to understand their views on malaria and the malaria vaccines. The responses overwhelmingly decried the toll malaria takes on communities and they welcomed the vaccines to protect against it.

Church of Central Africa Presbyterian, Nkhoma Synod (Malawi): “Vaccines have the potential to be a game-changer in the fight against malaria. Vaccines could complement existing interventions like bed nets, indoor spraying and anti-malarial drugs.”

Dr. Serge Makolo, former director of the Christian Medical Institute of Kasai (Congo): “Just as the number of malaria cases worldwide is currently higher than before the Covid pandemic, so it is for the province of Kasai Central. All these cases of malaria generate costs per episode of illness. If the average cost of treatment is 80,000 Fc ($30) per case, then if three people in the same family are ill at the same time, it represents a catastrophic expense for the household. A pilot program for the vaccines in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi showed a drop of around 13% in overall infant mortality, along with a reduction in hospital admissions.” [To put this in perspective, according to the World Bank, 75% of Congolese lived on less than $2.15 a day in 2023.]

Together we can stop malaria. Slide for congregational use.

Dr. Pacio Tshianza, Coordinator for Medical work of the Presbyterian Church of Congo: “The vaccines will be warmly welcomed by the population, given the damage that malaria causes in our households (loss of human life, abortions in pregnant women, school absenteeism, anemia, and poverty.)”

Zambia Council of Churches: “The vaccine could significantly reduce the malaria death rate, which is currently at four people per day in Zambia. Among these are individuals in our congregations and the heavy burden of sickness on the congregants hampers productivity and places additional pressure on pastoral work.”

Rev. Dr. Pascal Bataringaya, President, Presbyterian Church of Rwanda: “With malaria being a major health challenge, especially for children under five, there is a strong demand for effective preventative measures. Vaccines provide an additional layer of protection, complementing existing tools like bed nets and antimalarial drugs. By incorporating malaria vaccines into their healthcare services, the church can offer a more comprehensive approach to malaria prevention and treatment, complementing existing measures.”

Our ecclesiastic partners in Africa have clearly expressed themselves. It is important to note that vaccination campaigns are organized by governments, although church-run clinics are often incorporated into those plans. With ever-growing populations, struggling economies and competing social needs some governments do not have the resources to provide vaccines for all threatening diseases. So, as a church in the U.S., what can we do in response to the concerns of our siblings in Africa? Well, we can use our voices to urge our national lawmakers to ensure low-income countries have access to these vaccines. Since 2001 there has been bipartisan support in Washington for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. This is a public-private global health partnership with the goal of increasing access to immunization in poor countries. The new malaria vaccines are among those made available. It is important that this life-saving support continues.

Toward that end, a group of PC(USA) pastors, laypersons and mission coworkers representing the Africa Mission Networks has worked with the Presbyterian Office of Public Witness in Washington to invite people to join their voices in calling for the passage of the Gavi Resolution (House Resolution 1286 and Senate Resolution 684) affirming continued U.S. bipartisan congressional support for the purchase of vaccines in low-income countries through Gavi as a cost-effective, efficient means to end preventable child and maternal deaths. We further request our senators and representatives support the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative in the appropriations process.

There are several ways to become more involved:

View the Presbyterian News Service article about this initiative at presbyterianmission.org/story/pcusa-ministries-call-for-u-s-to-fund-vaccine-support.

Add your voice to the call at pcusa.org/malaria-action.

Download the bulletin and slide resources to share the invitation with your congregation at presbyterianmission.org/resource/support-vaccine-access-funding.

Contact jeff.boyd@pcusa.org if you are having trouble downloading the resources or linking up with the Call to Action, or in case you have any questions.

Many churches will be talking about stewardship in the coming months. Let us be reminded to also be good stewards of our influence, to use our voices to promote policies that help people have life in fullness. Being free from disease is part of that and vaccines have proven to help.

We are grateful for your prayers and gifts of support for the global work of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Grace and Peace be with you!

Jeff and Christi Boyd