Malaria no more !

On World Malaria Day, experts look at how Europe became malaria-free and how other regions can accomplish the same feat.

Just in time for World Malaria Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced last week that Europe is officially malaria-free.

However, getting rid of the disease in Africa, where 90 percent of the hundreds of thousands of annual malaria deaths are reported, is still out of reach. Some of the strategies employed in Europe are transferable to Africa – including political collaboration across borders.

Kenrad Nelson is quoted.

Orphans and the world at large

Losing a parent is undoubtedly a traumatic experience for any child. It is an experience that will follow that child, likely playing a large role in their development and the opportunities they will have later in life.

Globally, 153 million children are orphans; the number of orphans in developing countries is enormous: 132 million. Here are 5 facts about the 132 million orphaned children in developing nations.

1. The large amount of orphans in developing countries is a result of many negative circumstances. Among these are natural disasters, famine and war. However, AIDS is the most significant reason children in a developing country lose their parents. In 2007 alone, AIDS left 15 million children orphaned after one or more of their parents passed away from the disease.

More than 24 percent of orphaned children had parents taken from them by AIDS. In 2008, 430,000 children were infected with the disease as well.