Today is Malaria Day in the Americas, an opportunity to highlight efforts across Latin America and the Caribbean to control and ultimately eliminate malaria. Countries across the region have made remarkable progress this century, reducing malaria cases by 58% (from 1.5 million in 2000 to 0.65 million in 2020). Argentina, Paraguay, and El Salvador have … Continued
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Gabriel Edwards Jr is the vector control supervisor in Belize’s Toledo district, often described as the country’s last frontier. Located along Belize’s southern border with Guatemala, the district is home to 1,700 square miles of pristine rainforest and a thriving agriculture industry. Vector control is a vital service in Toledo, where the long rainy seasons … Continued
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Dr. Melissa Diaz, Belize’s Director of Public Health and Wellness, has seen the evolution of Belize’s malaria fight over the past 30+ years. “In the late eighties, we had malaria in the thousands, up to the mid-nineties,” Dr. Diaz said. “It has been a constant decrease from the late-nineties up to now. … It is … Continued
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Olympia Ramclam has been a microscopist in Belize since 1990 and has detected thousands of malaria cases over the years. She’s seen the steady improvement of malaria control and elimination in her country – “from one thousand plus cases, in early 2000, to zero cases at present.” “I started working in 1990, and can recall … Continued
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Hi Champions! We have an exciting month coming up with multiple opportunities for you to build your advocacy knowledge and skills and to take action in support of life-saving global malaria programs. See below for details about our upcoming Advocacy opportunities. Upcoming Events Friday, November 4th 1PM-3PM ET: Register here to attend a Malaria … Continued
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Orlando Chan, 63, joined Belize’s vector control program when he was 18. “There were a lot of people suffering from malaria at the time, they were recruiting for the program, and also [I was] looking for something meaningful to do in my life. I joined the team as an environmental assistant. Later on, I became an … Continued
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Marlene Álvarez is a 46-year-old community health worker from Trio Village, a Mayan community in southern Belize. For the past 13 years, Marlene has collaborated with the Belize government to lead malaria and dengue fever elimination efforts in her community. Marlene’s family, originally from Guatemala, took asylum in Belize when she was 8 years old. … Continued
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Famous for its barrier reef, rainforests, and vibrant ethnic diversity, Belize may soon earn a new distinction: The Central American country is close to receiving its malaria-free certification from the World Health Organization (WHO). It’s been three years since Belize last reported a nonimported case of malaria, a disease that was once endemic throughout the … Continued
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Meet our new communications and digital media intern, Anam Faruqi! Tell us about yourself! I’m a University of Southern California (USC) student pursuing my master’s in Communication Management, where I’ve combined two of my biggest interests: Entertainment and Social Impact. Eventually, I hope to leverage the power of content and celebrity to bring about social … Continued
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Meet Naime Panichewa, our new Development & Partnerships Intern! Tell us about yourself! I am originally from Bangkok, Thailand, but I moved to a suburb in the San Francisco Bay Area when I was 11. As someone who hates the cold, I knew I belonged on the West Coast. So, for college, I decided to … Continued
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