Support Mandy Moore’s Anti-Malaria Nets for Africa

With these nets, the malaria rates will drop in half.

-Kenneth Thapoung

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A child dies from malaria every 45 seconds. It’s the leading cause of death in Cameroon among children under age 5. But anti-malaria mosquito nets and other cost-effective prevention tools can curb malaria transmission by 90 percent in areas with high coverage rates.

Actress/singer Mandy Moore arrived in Yaounde, Cameroon to spread awareness for a countrywide distribution of these malaria-prevention nets. She’s teamed up with leading global health organization Population Services International and the United Nations Foundation’s Nothing But Nets, a global grassroots campaign to end African malaria. The program recently appealed to rush 225,000 life-saving nets to Cameroon.

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“I’m meeting the people who need these nets to stay safe from malaria—from two-year-olds to the Prime Minister,” Moore said. “I’m proud to be a part of this historic effort that will save thousands of lives here in Cameroon, and grateful for the help of so many American supporters who are donating to make this possible.”

At night, these insecticide-treated nets provide a barrier against mosquitoes and prevent the disease from spreading. Ten dollars to make a buy and deliver goes a long way, especially because that money educates communities on the net’s importance and proper use. So far, Nothing But Nets has raised more than $35 million. More than four million nets have already been sent to African families.

But can nets really keep out thousands, maybe millions, of insects? Well, according to the World Health Organization, these bed nets work! The nets cover 76 percent of the 765 million people at risk for malaria. In three years, 11 African countries will have cut malaria rates in half.

Follow @NothingButNets and spread the word or stay updated in Mandy Moore’s daily blog on NothingButNets.

Kenneth Thapoung is a regular contributor to BettyConfidential.