Malaria is a disease of poverty and injustice. It is both a cause and a consequence of poverty. Its impact is especially ferocious on the poorest: those least able to afford preventive measures and medical treatment. And yet, malaria is entirely preventable through an integrated package of interventions, such as properly maintained insecticide-treated nets, indoor residual spraying and information campaigns. If diagnosed and treated promptly and correctly, malaria is curable.
Defeating malaria is critical to ending poverty and improving maternal and child health. Strengthening national health services and community led initiatives are crucial in ending Malaria.

In this episode, Carine Weiss talks to Valentina Buj about her dedication to fight Malaria and to contribute to the end of Malaria. We also talk about gender inequality, access to health systems and about the importance of health system strengthening to end malaria.

Valentina Buj is the global malaria and health partnership advisor at UNICEF. Since 2002, she has worked to assist countries to continue scaling up integrated malaria interventions and works to foster greater harmonization among global malaria initiatives. Mrs. Buj spends much of her time working in malaria-endemic countries, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Nigeria, Uganda, Cameroon, and Mozambique.

www.medicusmundi.ch
http://www.unicef.org/health/index_malaria.html